Edmonton Oilers Should Avoid Free Agency Seeking Top Six – Hockey Writers – Edmonton Oilers

With free agency just weeks away, the Edmonton Oilers have some important decisions to make. The 2026-27 season is arguably the most important in franchise history, and they can’t afford to wiff in free agency.

The Oilers need a top-six winger, and they likely won’t get that on the open market. General manager Stan Bowman needs to play his cards right and make the right decisions. He should not sign players because he wants a move. He made that mistake when he acquired goaltender Tristan Jarry for Stuart Skinner, Brett Kulak, and a 2029 second-round pick. He took action for a change, and it backfired almost immediately.

Bowman can’t count on free agency, especially if you’re developing a frontcourt. If they want a legitimate top six, they should go the trade route and use assets, rather than working for free. There are better players available through the trade market, and Edmonton needs to do more. They need to get a number of contracts, which is almost impossible with this free agent class. Therefore, the Oilers should avoid free agency in their search for a top six pick.

Latest Free Agent Signing Not yet Active

The Oilers haven’t had much success with their recent free agent signings, especially up front. They tried to add a top six power forward through free agency over the past two seasons, but never panned out.

In July 2024, the Oilers signed Jeff Skinner to a one-year, $3 million deal after being acquired by the Buffalo Sabres. He was a pure scorer, so it was assumed that he would be a second line starter, but he wasn’t. While he scored 16 goals in Edmonton, he played primarily in the bottom six. He didn’t get into this team and he wasn’t given a chance to succeed. As a result, he was always healthy and scratched in the playoffs. Thankfully, it was a one-year deal, so the Oilers were able to move on regardless.

At the same time of the season, the Oilers re-signed Viktor Arvidsson to a two-year contract with a cap hit of $4 million. He scored 15 goals with Edmonton, but he also didn’t have a great season. Arvidsson and Skinner were supposed to be Leon Draisaitl’s teammates and mainstays in the top six. Unfortunately, they were moved to the bottom of the list. The Oilers traded Arvidsson to the Boston Bruins last offseason for a 2027 fifth-round pick. They were able to get out of that contract unscathed, which was not the case with their next big free agent signing.

The Oilers signed Andrew Mangiapane to a two-year contract worth $3.6 million through July 2025. That signing was a mistake from the start, and the Oilers ended up trading him to the Chicago Blackhawks at the deadline. The Oilers traded Mangiapane and first-round picks Jason Dickinson and Colton Dach. Bowman had to trade a first-rounder to get out of Mangiapane’s contract, less than a year after inking that deal. That’s terrible asset management, and they can’t afford that mistake again.

These three players are similar in that they are in the top six, with the small forwards and forwards making between $3 million and $4 million. The Oilers must avoid signing these players because it was not good before. They should add cheap forward depth through free agency, such as Jack Roslovic, and more expensive, impact players via trade.

Oilers Shouldn’t Overpay

This free agent category lacks the star power and real villains of the game. The best player of all time is Alex Tuch, who had 33 goals and 66 points in 79 games with the Buffalo Sabers last season. He’s likely to make more than $10 million in his new deal, and he wasn’t even a point-per-game player last season. That price is steep, as will be the case with many available in the future. The Oilers don’t need another bad contract on the books, so they need to be smart about how they use free agency.

The Oilers are in no position to overpay free agents because they don’t have the cap space. This free agent class is incredibly thin, and there aren’t many impact developers available. Therefore, the demand for these players will be high, increasing their price. A lot of players are going to get paid a lot this offseason, and the Oilers can’t be one of those teams.

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