The Edmonton Oilers are continuing to do everything they can to ensure they have the best shot possible at winning a Stanley Cup this season.
Despite training camp nearing, general manager Ken Holland is still making tweaks to his team and chose to make another on Tuesday afternoon, signing veteran forward Adam Erne to a professional tryout offer (PTO).
Erne, 28, has spent the majority of the past two seasons with the Detroit Red Wings. In a combined 140 games during that span, he has collected 14 goals and 37 points along with 55 penalty minutes. Before joining the Red Wings, he spent parts of three seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Erne is not a point producer at the NHL level, but can be an effective player in a team’s bottom six. His 160 hits last season ranked second on the Red Wings, trailing only Moritz Seider’s 207. Meanwhile, his 55 blocked shots led all forwards on the Red Wings roster.
Though cracking the Oilers will be a challenging task for Erne, they have had other PTOs in recent years that have turned out successful. Devin Shore is a perfect example, as he signed a PTO in Edmonton ahead of the 2020-21 season, and was not only able to earn himself a contract but also a two-year extension later on. Given the salaries some of their top players command, the Oilers need cheap contracts to fill out other areas of their roster, and could be looking at Erne to help with just that.
Erne is the third player the Oilers have signed to a PTO, as they also recently brought in Brandon Sutter and Sam Gagner. Currently, there are 11 forwards pencilled in for roster spots, while guys such as Erne, Sutter, Gagner, Mattias Janmark, Raphael Lavoie and Lane Pederson are all in the hunt for an opening night spot. At the very least, this will make the Oilers training camp one worth following closely.
- You might also like:
- Oilers reveal 25 prospects that will compete at Young Stars in Penticton