Happy Canada Day and the start of free agency, my dearest Internet friends! As I do every year, I’m here with the live blog to keep an eye on the NHL’s yearly shopping spree and offer a few takes on how these 32 NHL GMs are spending their owners’ cash. It’s a classic Canada Day ritual around these parts, and I’ll be parked in front of my laptop all day to bring you the latest updates, no matter how active the Oilers end up being.
To build on a what was a mostly successful season in which the Oilers finished just two wins away from the Stanley Cup, Stan Bowman has to get creative with the limited budget available for spending. With several gaps in the roster and some internal free agents who need re-signing, there’s significant pressure to ensure the Oilers continue their progression. The goal is to avoid stepping back after a couple of years as legitimate contenders, and that makes for an interesting day here in Edmonton as we wait to see what kind of players could get signed.
At this stage of the McDavid and Draisaitl era — with another massive extension needing to be signed — Bowman needs to find a way to keep the Cup window open despite having little money available to spend in free agency. We’ve seen other teams clear cap space creatively over the last couple of weeks, and I wonder whether the Oilers will be able to do the same. Either way, I’ll be here all day to report on what does or does not get done on the first day of free agency and why we should be thrilled or angry about whatever comes next.
Feel free to join the conversation, talk about what the rest of the league is doing, and break down how our beloved Oilers have done on the first day of the 2025 free agent fishing derby. Happy silly season, everybody!

THE SUSPECTS

GDB Corey Perry Edmonton Oilers LA Kings Photoshop
Photoshop by Tom Kostiuk from Handmade by Tom
With just over $550K in cap space available before the Viktor Arvidsson trade, the Oilers will need to be tactical in free agency, and it will be fascinating to see if Stan Bowman can improve the roster with next to no money available. In this section, I’ve compiled a list of names linked to the Oilers by various media members as potential fits or targets, but as always, we’ll have to wait to see if any of these players and targets get crossed off the list.

The Potentials

Corey Perry (2024-25: 81GP – 19G, 11A) – While there’s no doubt that Corey Perry had a fantastic season with the Oilers, the reality is they don’t really have the money to sign him even if they wanted to. On Monday, Pierre LeBrun wrote about the Perry situation and how it’s a tricky one for Edmonton to navigate given their current cap constraints: “The Edmonton Oilers want Corey Perry back but are currently limited in what they can offer him, so in their view, the ball is in his court. Edmonton can’t chase it financially. There will most likely be better offers on the table come Tuesday for the 40-year-old winger, who continues to be an impactful player despite his age. Things change by the hour on June 30 as I write this, but all signs point to Perry going to market.”
Connor Brown (2024-25: 82GP – 13G, 17A) – Like Corey Perry, Connor Brown is a guy I’m sure the Oilers would love to bring back on another one-year deal, but I don’t know how realistic that idea is if Brown is looking to cash in on a rebound year in Edmonton. After signing here on the heels of a significant injury, the Oilers didn’t get much out of Brown in his first season, but I also thought he made up for it quite nicely in year two. That said, Brown is on the wrong side of 30 and could be looking for more dollars and term, which are both things the Oilers don’t have in abundance right now.

The ‘Maybe There’s a Chance’ Collection

Brock Boeser (2024-25: 82GP – 24G, 27A) – I really liked the idea of a former 40-goal scorer landing in Edmonton in free agency, but after everything that went down yesterday, I see no possible way that the Oilers can make this work unless Stan Bowman pulls a rabbit out of his hat and a horseshoe from his… well… let’s just say it’s not happening.
Andrew Mangiapane (2024-25: 81GP – 14G, 14G) – I’ve seen a couple of local podcasts talking about Andrew Mangiapane as a potential option if the Oilers can clear some cap space, but like Boeser, I don’t see how that happens without some kind of magic. Dare to dream? I’ll be dreaming.

THE RUMOURS…

Here is where I’ll drop in the rumours I find on Twitter to try and spice things up. If I see a media member discussing a player in connection with the Oilers, I’ll include their tweet here to provide us with something else to argue about in the comments section.

WHAT’S HAPPENED SO FAR

Kasperi Kapanen (2024-25: 67GP – 6G, 8A) – The Oilers took care of a little bit of housekeeping on Monday morning when they announced that Kasperi Kapanen had signed a one-year deal worth $1.3 million. During the playoffs, Kris Knoblauch mentioned that Kapanen had been an Oilers free agency target in the past, so it makes sense that the organization would want him back and prioritize getting a deal done before free agency.
Trent Frederic (2024-25: 58GP – 8G, 7A) – The biggest splash the Oilers have made so far happened last week when the club officially announced the eight-year extension that carries a $3.85 million AAV. While the decision was undoubtedly met with some friction among a sizable chunk of the fanbase, it’s clear the Oilers believe this term and dollar value will look better and better as the contract progresses. While I admittedly know nothing about anything, I’m hoping we can get some kind of Hyman-light situation where this dollar value looks like a steal in a year or two.
Noah Philp (2024-25: NHL 15GP – 0G, 2A – AHL: 55GP – 19G, 16A) – Noah Philp signed a one-year, two-way extension with the Oilers on Monday that will see the young forward earn $775,000 at the NHL level or $250,000 if he’s down in Bakersfield.

THE UPDATES…

  • 9:00 AM MT – Rise and shine, everybody! We’re back with another live blog to keep tabs on day one of the NHL’s annual shopping day and break down everything that happens here in Edmonton and around the league. We’ve still got about an hour to wait until contracts officially start flowing in, but the rumours are already swirling around social media, and there’s no better time to start the live blog than right here and now. Happy Canada Day, everybody.
  • 9:09 AM MT – Irfaan Gaffar is reporting that the Oilers are trading Viktor Arvidsson to the Boston Bruins, no idea on the return yet. Stay tuned.
  • 9:12 AM MT – Kevin Weekes is reporting that Jake Allen is staying in NJ. 5 x $1.8m for Jake Allen.
  • 9:29 AM MT – Irf Gaffar and Pierre LeBrun are both saying it’s going to be a future/mid-round pick for Arvidsson. The expected result.
  • 9:33 AM MT – Make it a 5th in 2027 for Arvidsson.
  • 9:52 AM MT – Ryan Rishaug is suggesting that Adam Henrique may also get moved today, as Stan Bowman continues to work for cap space. We’ll see.
  • 10:15 AM MT – Some rumblings on Twitter right now that Connor Brown is closing in on a deal in New Jersey. Nothing confirmed, though.
  • 10:20 AM MT – Glen Gulutzan officially announced as Dallas’ new head coach.
  • 10:28 AM MT – Rick Dhaliwal is reporting that Brock Boeser is staying in Vancouver on a long-term deal.
  • 10:36 AM MT – Looks like Ken Holland is signing Corey Perry in Los Angeles.
  • 10:50 AM MT – Pierre LeBrun is reporting that Corey Perry’s one-year deal in L.A. is worth a max comp of $3.5 (salary and bonuses).
  • 10:52 AM MT – Gene Principe is reporting that Connor Brown is signing a four-year deal in New Jersey. No money details yet.
  • 10:54 AM MT – Four years x $3 million for Connor Brown in New Jersey.
  • 11:41 AM MT – It’s concerning to me that we’re not even hearing any Oilers rumours right now. I expected a quieter opening day for the Oilers, but not having accomplished anything to this point is certainly surprising.
  • 12:00 PM MT – Bob Stauffer just hinted on air that the Oilers are going to get a goalie today. We’ll see.
  • 12:15 PM MT – “I know for a fact the team is in on a couple of mid-range forwards” -Stauffer
  • 12:37 PM MT – Cody Ceci signs a four-year deal with the #LAKings carrying a $4.5M AAV.
  • 1:23 PM MT – The more I see some of these contract values going out, the more I don’t mind the Oilers not wading into the market for overpays. Honestly, deals like Tanner Jeannot make me feel much better about Trent Frederic.
  • 1:53 PM MT – Stan Bowman’s presser will be at 3 PM MT. I’ll live tweet it from the ON account for anyone who wants to follow along.