Edmonton Rumored to be in Talks with a Former Oiler About a Possible Return
The Oilers are very tight on cap space, so they have to bargain shop if they want to add depth to their lineup. It is also likely they make a trade or two for flexibility.
Ken Holland's limited options leave for creative opportunities. According to Kurt Leavins of Edmonton Journal, Holland has been in talks with F Sam Gagner, gauging interest in his return to the Oilers. The 33-year old would likely sign for vet-minimum and offer the Oilers a useful-ish depth piece.
Gagner's veteran presence and high hockey IQ could make up for his lack of speed, of which the Oilers' offense has plenty. In 542 games for Edmonton, Gagner has totaled 111 goals and 206 assists. The Oilers' 2007 sixth-overall pick has been a suitcase the past few years, but with Edmonton reaching the Western Conference Finals in 2021-22 he could be a net-positive addition.
The Oilers are $6 million over the salary cap, but there is $6.4 million on injured reserve that could end up on long-term injured reserve, offering that amount in cap relief making the Oilers cap compliant by about $300,000. Rumors have circulated that Tyson Barrie and his $4.5M cap-hit could be moved to give Holland some breathing room and add a couple of veterans.
PK Subban has also been rumored to have interest from Edmonton as a potential replacement for Barrie, should Holland opt to go that route. With Connor McDavid, the NHL's best player, the Oilers have to field a contender every year, so the Oilers GM will have to get creative to give his team the best chance.
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Zachary Werenski | 2 | 3 | 5 | |
| Sean Monahan | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| Jesper Bratt | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Frederick Gaudreau | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Jack Hughes | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Nikita Kucherov | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Mackenzie Weegar | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Kent Johnson | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Alexander Wennberg | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Mitchell Chaffee | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Anthony Cirelli | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Matthew Coronato | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Marcus Foligno | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Nick Foligno | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Conor Geekie | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Brandon Hagel | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Stefan Noesen | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Corey Perry | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Igor Sharangovich | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Dmitry Voronkov | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 19 | 16 | 3 | - | 32 | |
Wild | 19 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 29 | |
Hurricanes | 19 | 14 | 5 | - | 28 | |
Devils | 22 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 28 | |
Capitals | 19 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 27 | |
Golden Knights | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Maple Leafs | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Rangers | 18 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 25 | |
Panthers | 20 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 25 | |
Flames | 20 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 25 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||