Edmonton Oilers bringing back Kasperi Kapanen on cheap one-year contract
The Edmonton Oilers have continued to get work done on the opening day of free agency.
With the Darnell Nurse trade freeing up cap space, GM Stan Bowman now has a lot more cap flexibility to work with. He wasted no time after the trade, bringing in defenceman Ryan Shea into the fold, and now the team has managed to bring back an important part of last year’s roster.
Kasperi Kapanen won’t be leaving Edmonton, as the Oilers announced that they had signed the Finnish forward to a one-year contract with a $2.6 million cap hit.
KAPPY HOUR EXTENDED ā°
The #Oilers have re-signed forward Kasperi Kapanen to a one-year contract with an AAV of $2.6 million. pic.twitter.com/QpdQ2RYNNX
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) July 1, 2026
The 29-year-old forward appeared in just 41 games with the Oilers last season due to injury, but he found a way to make an impact in that time. Kapanen managed to score eight goals and 17 points in that span, all while building some impressive chemistry with Leon Draisaitl on Edmonton’s second line.
That chemistry became very apparent in the playoffs, as he was among the Oilers’ best scorers, notching four goals and six points in six games against the Anaheim Ducks. There was some concern that Kapanen would leave Edmonton in free agency, but it appears the two sides were happy sticking with each other for another year.
It will be interesting to see where Oilers head coach Mike Babcock will play Kapanen this upcoming season. There is a chance he opts to keep Kapanen on Draisaitl’s wing alongside Vasily Podkolzin, or he could potentially slide down to the third or fourth line to provide some scoring depth throughout the lineup.
A one-year deal at a relatively low price shouldn’t be overly concerning for the Oilers. Kapanen is a known commodity and has proven to be a useful top-nine plug-and-play option.
Kapanen is the third Oilers player to re-sign with the club in recent weeks, joining Jason Dickinson and Connor Murphy. Edmonton has already lost Jack Roslovic and Calvin Pickard to other teams in free agency.