4 important Edmonton Oilers not named McDavid that still need contract extensions
Connor McDavid needs an extension from the Edmonton Oilers after this upcoming season, but he is far from the only player on this team who needs a new deal.
The Oilers captain will, rightfully, take up a lot of attention until he inks a new deal in Edmonton. McDavid is the best player in the world, is coming off two straight Stanley Cup defeats, and is the most important player in the Oilers organization. But there are other players that Edmonton will need to get taken care of before next summer as well.
A total of 13 Oilers players are on expiring contracts for this upcoming season and will become either a UFA or RFA once July 1 rolls around again. Many of those players make a living at the bottom of the lineup, but there are a few critical players outside of McDavid that the Oilers may have to give significant paydays.
Here is a closer look at the four biggest players that need new deals:
Mattias Ekholm
Stephen R. Sylvanie/Imagn Images
Age: 35
Current cap hit: $6.25 million
2024-25 stats: 9 G, 24 A, 33 PTS, 65 GP
Father time is catching up to Mattias Ekholm; the only question is how quickly it’ll affect the veteran Swede.
Ekholm has been a top-flight, first-pairing defenceman for the Oilers since they traded for him back at the 2023 NHL trade deadline, but the end of last season was a bit rough. The 35-year-old ran into nagging injury issues that limited him to 65 regular-season games and sidelined him through most of the first three playoff rounds.
The Swede mentioned last week that he would like to stick around in Edmonton on a new deal, but he will likely have to take a haircut off his current $6.25 million cap hit on a short-term deal to do so.
Jake Walman
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Age: 29
Current cap hit: $3.4 million
2024-25 stats: 7 G, 33 A, 40 PTS, 65 GP
Jake Walman proved to be a significant addition to the Oilers last season, and he will be looking to cash in on his next deal.
The 29-year-old defenceman was stellar for Edmonton in the playoffs and proved that he is a bona fide top-four defender. He is playing on a bargain contract under $3.5 million and will likely look for a longer-term deal with a significant pay raise.
He won’t get Evan Bouchard money on an extension, but he could double his current AAV to get himself in the $6 million range. Walman would be excellent insurance to eventually take over the top LD spot from an aging Ekholm.
Stuart Skinner
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Age: 26
Current cap hit: $2.6 million
2024-25 stats: 26-18-4, .896 SV%, -1.5 GSAx
Signing Stuart Skinner to an extension could either become a top priority or a non-issue for the Oilers this season.
The Oilers’ goaltending situation has been chaotic over the past few seasons, and Skinner has been at the centre of it for a while. His wild inconsistencies have him looking like the NHL’s best or worst goalie on any given week, and he’ll need to prove himself to get a new contract from Edmonton.
If things go well for the Edmonton native, it’s probably safe to assume that he’ll eclipse his current cap hit. If things go wrong, he might have to negotiate a new deal with another team next summer.
Vasily Podkolzin
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Age: 24
Current cap hit: $1 million
2024-25 stats: 8 G, 16 A, 24 PTS, 82 GP
Vasily Podkolzin doesn’t have the boxcars or the cap hit of a key player on this Oilers squad, but the team seems deadset on keeping him around.
The young Russian has hit all the right buttons with his coaches and teammates after his first season in the Alberta capital. He showed off a terrific work ethic and has garnered a lot of praise from linemate Leon Draisaitl over the course of the last year.
There appears to be a lot of belief that Podkolzin is only scratching the surface of what he is capable of and that the Oilers want to lock him down sooner rather than later. He won’t break the bank, but there is a good chance he could get a healthy raise from his current cap hit.