Oilers send qualifying offers to five players on eve of free agency
The Edmonton Oilers have sent out qualifying offers to five players on the eve of free agency.
Just a day before the market opens, five players in the Oilers organization will have their rights retained and become RFAs. Among those players are playoff performers Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway.
The #Oilers have issued qualifying offers to defencemen Philip Broberg & Noel Hoefenmayer as well as forwards James Hamblin, Dylan Holloway & Raphael Lavoie.
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) June 30, 2024
The Oilers have also sent offers to AHL standouts like forwards Raphael Lavoie, James Hamblin, and defenceman Noel Hoefenmayer. Lavoie and Hamblin spent some time on the Oilers’ roster last season but could not maintain a spot heading down the stretch. They will be fighting for a roster spot in training camp.
Hoefenmayer did not see any NHL action but impressed with the Bakersfield Condors, scoring seven goals and 18 points in the AHL last season.
These qualified players will now have the option of taking the offer on a one-year contract or negotiating a contract with the Oilers. There is also a possibility that they could sign an offer sheet with another organization, but those types of scenarios are rare in the NHL.
On the flip side, the Oilers have opted not to qualify forward Carter Savoie and goaltender Ryan Fanti ahead of free agency, meaning they will become unrestricted free agents this summer.
Savoie was drafted 100th overall by the Oilers in 2020 and has failed to find much success since turning pro in 2021-22. He has just 33 points over three seasons in the AHL.
Fanti was signed as a college free agent in 2022 and was initially seen as a goaltender with some promise. However, his results have not been there, and he has been relegated to the ECHL for the past two seasons, where he has a mediocre 24-22-3 record with the Fort Wayne Comets.
This is expected to be the first order of business for an Oilers team that could be very busy over the next 24 hours. Rumours have been swirling around a potential Jack Campbell buyout, and that would have to happen today if the team wants to open up cap space in time for free agency.
We’ll see where things go over the next few days.
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