How much cap space the Edmonton Oilers have left to sign other players
For the first time in what feels like forever, the Edmonton Oilers have a bit of cap space to work with.
The Oilers have been a team tight on cap space for several years, though GM Stan Bowman was able to make some room on Wednesday.
It all came thanks to a trade on Wednesday that saw Darnell Nurse head to the San Jose Sharks. Not only did the Oilers receive defenceman Shakir Mukhamadullin and prospect Zach Sharp, but they were also able to move all of Nurse’s $9.25-million cap hit.
Freeing up that money allowed the Oilers to make a series of moves. They signed defenceman Riley Shea to a five-year, $20-million deal, while also landing Frederik Andersen on a one-year, $1-million contract.
The Oilers also traded for goaltender Devon Levi, signed forward Mathieu Joseph, and re-signed Kasperi Kapanen and Max Jones. Even with all those transactions, they still have some money to spend.
As per Puckpedia, the Oilers currently have $7.25 million in cap space. That comes with 13 forwards, six defencemen, and three goalies currently under contract. That said, they still have to spend some of that money on internal pieces.
Puckpedia
The Oilers currently have three RFAs in Spencer Stastney, Colton Dach, and Mukhamadullin. None are projected to command big deals but should wind up combining for roughly $4 million in salary.
Whether the Oilers can use this cap space to their advantage remains to be seen. While Bowman did some excellent work on Wednesday, he also played a part in his team getting into this mess with the Trent Frederic extension and the Tristan Jarry trade.
To Bowman’s credit, he was able to move out Nurse with zero retention, something many figured wasn’t possible. Now, it’s up to him to continue making wise decisions in order to give this team its best shot at competing for a Stanley Cup.
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