The Edmonton Oilers got the player they wanted in the 2022 NHL Incoming Draft when they selected local boy Reid Schaefer of the Seattle Thunderbirds with the No. 32 pick on Thursday, but returned from Montreal with more than the big end. Spruce Grove.
While Schaefer could be a valuable addition in a year or two, GM Ken Holland and the Oilers ’draft contingent packed their bags for home with something they can use here and now to try to build a season. 2021-22. in which they reached the final of the Western Conference.
With Zack Kassian negotiating in Arizona on Thursday and Friday the news that Duncan Keith had decided to retire, Holland and the Oilers went from being compressed into a salary cap limitation to relatively within reach: 20.57 million dollars, according to PuckPedia. Talk about the right time with the players to sign and the free agency season that will open on Wednesday.
Announcement – Continue reading below
“Talking to a lot of executives, a lot of them are in the same situation we’re in,” Holland said. “The limit has only been raised by a million dollars. Restricted free agents are obviously looking for salary increases. The market is tight. It will be about seven or ten interesting days to see what is happening.”
BUSY DAY
May 23, 2022; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; The goalkeeper of the St. Louis Blues Ville Husso (35) defends the Colorado Avalanche net during the first period of the fourth game of the second round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Le-USA TODAY Sports
When the Detroit Red Wings started things by acquiring Ville Husso from the St. Louis Blues early Friday, the Oilers and a handful of other teams in the market for a goalkeeper were left waiting for UFA’s Darcy Kuemper and Jack Campbell as the best caps still available.
Not long after, Colorado GM Joe Sakic announced he was offering Kuemper’s rights to a final draft pick. No need for Holland or anyone looking for a goalkeeper to wait until Wednesday. If Holland hasn’t called Sakic yet, he will. He will not be alone.
With Kassian already out of the books, Keith’s decision to retire added $ 5.54 million in boundary space. Keep in mind that Mike Smith joins Oscar Klefbom at LTIR next season and Holland finds himself with room to move when it looked like things would be tight.
Announcement – Continue reading below
Therefore, the to-do list. Will it be Campbell, Kuemper or someone else in tandem with Stuart Skinner? What will this cost? What about Evander Kane? Can Kane get the term and money he wants here? UFA defender Brett Kulak is worth re-signing. Four years with a $ 2.5 million AAV get it? Could Kulak look around? We don’t know what will happen to Jesse Puljujarvi, who needs a contract, just like Kailer Yamamoto.
For me, the first priority should be the goalkeeper. The second is to see if there is a deal to do with Kane or someone who can take his place in the lineup. I don’t know if Holland sees it the same way, but we’ll know soon enough. At the very least, having meaningful space to work means having options.
CUTTING BAITS
March 26, 2022; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers right winger Zack Kassian (44) against the Calgary Flames during the second period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
Kassian was a better player for the Oilers when he had big sideburns than with a big contract, so he deserves the Netherlands to get out of his mistake: a four-year contract worth $ 12.8 million signed in January 2020 , sending Kassian to Arizona.
“I guess in life you make decisions based on the information you have at the time and when the information changes, you have to roll with the punches,” Holland said. “When I signed him with this contract, my first year here, Yamamoto was in the AHL. Puljujarvi was in Finland. Kane was elsewhere. (Zach) Hyman was in Toronto. (Ryan) McLeod was in Bakersfield. In the last two years, our team has deepened and (Kassian’s) role has really shrunk. “
To state the obvious, Holland overpaid. Kassian would never fulfill the contract. It is better to acknowledge the mistake and free up head space than to be stubborn and refuse to acknowledge a bad deal. Good luck to Kassian in Arizona.
I. . .
- Holland finished fourth in the Jim Gregory GM Award vote behind Sakic, Julien Brisebois of Tampa Bay and Chris Drury of the NY Rangers. It is the first Gregory award, given since 2010, to Sakic, who scored 109 points in the vote. Brisebois had 87, Drury 53 and Holland 41.
- Former oilman Mike Grier was eloquent talking about friend and teammate Bryan Marchment on Thursday. A tough first few days for the new San Jose GM with the sudden passage of Marchment, an explorer with the Sharks.
- Shane Wright won the first day of the draft with the furry eyeball he headed to the Canadiens table after finishing fourth for the Seattle Kraken.