Bold moves Oilers need to make to deliver a last-chance Cup with McDavid
The Edmonton Oilers are entering an existential crossroads this summer.
A first-round playoff exit this season has cast doubt on Connor McDavid’s future with the Oilers, as he only has two years left under contract with Edmonton.
Leon Draisaitl lamented over the weekend that this team has just two more years to figure this thing out with McDavid on the team, but the reality might be even more frightening.
It might only be one more season.
McDavid is eligible to sign his next contract extension as soon as next summer. If the Oilers don’t show signs of improvement this upcoming season, why would he want to re-sign? And if he doesn’t, that will put the Oilers in an impossible situation.
Will Oilers management risk losing McDavid for nothing in free agency in 2028? Or will they look to trade McDavid in the summer of 2027 in order to get something in return?
Edmonton has about $16 million in cap space this summer and a laundry list of to-do items to make sure they don’t have to make that decision. It’ll take a tremendous amount of work, and it’ll require management to make more than a few bold moves, but it might be the only way.
Here is a look at some of the biggest things that need to happen…
Fix the goaltending
Enough is enough when it comes to goaltending.
The Oilers have not had a single star-calibre goaltender throughout McDavid’s entire career, and it has cost the team a chance at winning multiple Stanley Cups.
Whoever is running the Oilers has to make goaltending a top priority this summer and find a bona fide starting goalie for this team. Connor Ingram and Tristan Jarry will not cut it.
Filip Gustavsson of the Minnesota Wild is an intriguing option to fill that void, as is a guy like Juuse Saros. They can’t fall into the trap of leaning on a struggling vet looking to rebound, like Jordan Binnington or Samuel Montembeault.
It’s time to finally swing for the fences on a goalie trade.
Find a new head coach
There will need to be a new person behind the bench for the Oilers next season.
Kris Knoblauch has failed to get this team over the hump, and it seems like things are starting to regress. The offence is still there, for the most part, but the team has taken massive steps back when it comes to how they defend.
The penalty kill has also become abysmal under his watch, with it becoming a major issue in the playoffs this season. There needs to be a new voice and on-ice strategy for this team heading into such an important season.
This would be the summer to make such a move, as Bruce Cassidy is currently looking for a new job, and a guy like Jon Cooper could also potentially shake loose after another disappointing result for the Tampa Bay Lightning.
It’s not every summer that these kinds of coaches are potentially available, and the Oilers will need to strike while the iron is hot.
Target impact players
The Oilers have nibbled around the edges of their roster enough over the past few seasons; it’s time to make more impactful moves.
Unfortunately, a lot of the team’s most valuable assets have been used up in some rather middling trades over the years, and they don’t have a first-round pick for the next two drafts. Even so, the 2028 and 2029 first-rounders are still tradeable, and they should be available for the right player.
Nobody within the Oilers prospect system should be off-limits as well. Ike Howard is a great prospect to have, and he could make an impact as soon as next season, but if the right deal comes around, Edmonton shouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger.
This summer, the focus should be on bringing in more impactful players who can play at the top of the lineup. That should involve a starting goalie, but Edmonton shouldn’t stop there. This roster could absolutely use another top-six winger to help out McDavid and Draisaitl as well.
Perhaps they could get involved in trade talks surrounding Robert Thomas or Jordan Kyrou with the St. Louis Blues. Either would be locks for the top six and help bring the offensive load off of Edmonton’s two superstars.
Alex Tuch, who is set to be the top free agent this year, could also be an option if the Oilers can make the money work.
Trim the dead cap
To get an impactful player, the Oilers will need to find a way to offload some problematic contracts as well.
The trio of Trent Frederic ($3.85 million), Darnell Nurse ($9.25 million), and Jarry ($5.375 million) adds up to a combined cap hit of $18.4 million next season. That is a lot of money that would be better utilized elsewhere around the roster. It’s unrealistic to think that Edmonton can get rid of all three of those contracts.
There may not be any team in the league that is willing to take on any of these contracts without the Oilers adding a sweetener or taking back another bad contract. The focus shouldn’t be on getting rid of all of them, but they should attempt to dump at least one of them.
Nurse would represent the biggest cap relief, and is also the best player of the three, meaning a team may be more likely to take him on. The problem with Nurse is that he has a full no-move clause that stays in effect until next summer. You can’t move him without getting approval, which may be difficult.
The same could be said for Trent Frederic, who controls his destiny with a full no-move clause for the next three seasons.
If you can’t move Nurse or Frederic, it isn’t completely unreasonable to think that a team like the rebuilding Vancouver Canucks could be open to taking on Jarry’s contract if they got another draft pick in return.