Oilers sign Tomas Jurco to a one-year deal

Ken Holland is diving into the bargain bin, adding a familiar face in Tomas Jurco to a one-year contract. The deal will apparently be a shade over the league minimum at $750k.

Jurco was a second-round pick of Holland’s Red Wings back in 2011. He played parts of four seasons with the Red Wings, scoring 39 points in 159 games with Detroit before getting dealt to the Blackhawks in 2017 for a third-round pick. He spent last season with the Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes organizations, helping the AHL Charlotte Checkers win the Calder Trophy with an impressive 18 points in 18 playoff games.

Though he hasn’t been able to put it together at the NHL level, the 26-year-old was once a highly-touted prospect. Given his good run with the Checkers in the AHL last year, Jurco is certainly worth a risk. The contract is just a shade above the league minimum, so if it doesn’t work out, at the very least you have yourself a good winger to play in the AHL who can be called up as an injury replacement. At best, maybe you’ve found a diamond in the rough.