Ex-Oilers forward Kassian lands PTO deal with new team

Ex-Edmonton Oilers forward Zack Kassian’s NHL career is hanging on by a thread after scoring just two goals last season, but it isn’t over just yet.

The Anaheim Ducks announced this morning that they have signed Kassian to a professional tryout offer (PTO) for their training camp this fall. The 32-year-old is coming off of an ugly season with the Arizona Coyotes, in which he scored just two goals and failed to register a single assist in 51 games.

For several seasons, Kassian was a very valuable member of the Oilers, as he was a physical presence who would step in and defend his teammates while also chipping in with some valued secondary scoring. However, his play began to fall off during his final few seasons in Edmonton, resulting in him being traded last off-season to the Coyotes.

At 32 years old, it seems Kassian’s best NHL days are behind him, but perhaps the 13th overall selection from the 2009 draft still has something left in the tank. It certainly couldn’t have been easy being traded from a contender like the Oilers were to a lottery team in the Coyotes, so perhaps a change of scenery will allow him to get things back on track.

The good news for Kassian is that the Ducks are a team he is capable of making. Not only are they expected to struggle again in 2023-24 as they continue their rebuild, but they currently have over $16 million in cap space. Granted, they still need to work out new deals for Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale, but they should still have plenty left over for Kassian, who, at this point, wouldn’t require much more than a league minimum deal.

If he can rediscover the fire he played with that made him so valuable at times with the Oilers, he may be able to earn himself a deal for the 2023-24 season.

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