With an earlier-than-usual playoff exit, changes are inevitable for the Edmonton Oilers.

Among the many decisions to be made is which of their pending unrestricted free agents they bring back next season. I recently wrote that re-signing Kasperi Kapanen is a priority, and NHL_Sid wrote about the reasons why Connor Murphy should be extended as well.

Then there are other pending unrestricted free agents like Curtis Lazar and Jason Dickinson, whom I’m on the fence about bringing back. If the numbers are reasonable for Dickinson, the Oilers should look to bring him back, as he was steady at the 3C spot, but should avoid any type of overpay.

Lazar didn’t produce a ton of offence, finishing with six points in 45 games, but among players that took more than 100 faceoffs in the NHL in 2025-26, Lazar ranked fifth in the league, going 61.2 per cent in the faceoff circle. Should they bring him back? It wouldn’t hurt them, as it will likely be at league minimum, but they could also go shopping in the bargain bin to look for a player more impactful in that bottom-six role.

Then there are pending unrestricted free agents who I’m more certain have likely played their last games in Oil Country, and we dive into those three players below.

Jack Roslovic had a “streaky” reputation, but with the winger willing to sign a one-year deal with the Oilers at $1.5 million, it was worth the gamble to bring him in, signing on the season opener in the middle of Edmonton’s first game against the Calgary Flames.

Overall, the Oilers got tremendous value out of Roslovic in the regular season, finishing with 36 points (21 goals and 15 assists). He also had a stretch starting in late October where he put up 17 points in 16 games, and there were rumours last January that the Oilers were looking to extend him on a four-year deal worth $4 million a season.

But the Oilers may have dodged a bullet by not locking him up long-term based on a hot streak, though, because that old narrative of him tending to cool off in the playoffs surfaced once again.

The 29-year-old recorded only a single assist through six playoff games, and according to Natural Stat Trick, at five-on-five, he was outchanced by the Ducks 37-25 when he was on the ice. The Oilers’ early exit to Anaheim in the first round wasn’t solely on him, but as the fourth-highest point producer at five-on-five in the regular season, there was an expectation for him to produce, and he came up short.

At a price tag of $1.5 million a season, Roslovic’s 21 goals were tremendous value in the regular season, but as Jason Gregor noted recently, the winger will likely look for a minimum of $3 million a season on a multi-year deal. If that’s the case, the Oilers should politely decline and send the email that says ‘best of luck in your future endeavours.’

Of course, his 21 regular-season goals will have to be replaced in the lineup, and the Oilers will likely go shopping for that, but even internally next season, between Matt Savoie hopefully taking a step and Isaac Howard likely getting a longer look, those 21 goals could be made up by just those two youngsters alone.

If the NHL were just based on “vibes,” the Oilers would likely sign Calvin Pickard to a long-term deal, because by all accounts, he seemed like an amazing locker-room guy, with Mattias Ekholm saying about him last February, “Love the guy. He’s been nothing but awesome for us.”

But unfortunately, running an NHL franchise is a results-driven business, and because of that, Pickard, who had a tough go in 2025-26, his time in Edmonton is likely done.

Pickard went 5-6-2 last season with the Oilers, while posting a subpar 3.68 goals-against average (GAA), which was fourth lowest in the NHL among goaltenders who played a minimum of five games, and a .871 save percentage (SV%), which was fifth lowest. Also, at one point during the season, the netminder was placed on waivers and reassigned to the Bakersfield Condors in the AHL.

The 34-year-old posted a 4-3-1 record with the Condors, putting up a .886 SV% in that span, and was recalled to the Oilers on an emergency basis on April 17 as the first of the Black Aces to be recalled. But with Connor Ingram and Tristan Jarry ahead of him in net, he didn’t see any post-season action with the Oilers.

Overall, since 2023-24, Pickard has posted a 39-23-4 record in the regular season, but he’ll be remembered most for stepping up on several occasions in the playoffs in the back-to-back seasons the Oilers went to the Stanley Cup Final.

His playoff record with the Oilers is 8-5, but his postseason pinnacle came when he won six games in a row in the 2025 playoffs. Stuart Skinner gave up 11 goals in the first two winless games for the Oilers in the first round against the Los Angeles Kings in 2025, and Pickard started Game 3 and won six games in a row, until he got injured in Game 2 of the next round against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Oilers fans have very fond memories of the deep playoff runs over the last couple of seasons, with Pickard playing a big role in them. That said, if his time in Edmonton is truly done, thank you for the memories, Cal!

Centreman Adam Henrique played just 2:56 in Game 1 last playoffs against the Anaheim Ducks before leaving with a lower-body injury, and unfortunately, that brief appearance may have been the last time he suits up for the Oilers.

Henrique was initially acquired from the Ducks in 2024 just before the trade deadline and went on to have a solid playoff run during the Oilers’ journey to the Stanley Cup Final. That postseason, he played in 17 games and recorded seven points (four goals and three assists), scoring several timely goals, including a game-tying marker in Game 3 against the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Final and a game-winning goal in Game 4 against the Florida Panthers.

In combination with his two-way play and the chemistry he developed playing on a line with Connor Brown and Mattias Janmark, Henrique earned a two-year contract extension from the Oilers worth $3 million per season after the Oilers’ deep run in 2024.

But now he is a pending unrestricted free agent, and at 36 years old, it’s unfortunate to say, but his best days are likely behind him.

He missed 17 games during the regular season and five in the playoffs due to injury, and is coming off a career-worst 15-point 2025–26 campaign, and his ability to stay healthy moving forward is a definite concern.

Another concern with Henrique is his declining foot speed. In the 2024–25 season, his top-end speed, according to NHL Edge data, reached 22.64 mph, which ranked in the 69th percentile in the NHL, whereas last season, that top speed dipped to 21.62 mph, dropping him below the 50th percentile in the NHL.

As Henrique’s time in Edmonton likely has come to an end, after 168 regular-season games and producing 51 points (21 goals, 30 assists), one area that he excelled in is on the penalty kill, with his 237 minutes and seven seconds, played leading all Oilers’ forwards in that area over the past two seasons, and they’ll miss his PK work. They’ll also miss his faceoff ability, where he averaged close to 55 per cent in the faceoff circle over his three seasons in Edmonton.

That said, the Oilers have an internal option to fill Henrique’s defensive prowess down the middle in a younger Josh Samanski next season; however, if the Oilers are looking at alternatives on the market to potentially fill the 3C spot, taking a look at the list of pending unrestricted free agents, they could use the money from Henrique’s previous contract to make a pitch for Charlie Coyle.

Coyle put up a 58-point campaign in 2025-26. He also played the most minutes among Columbus Blue Jackets forwards on the PK last season (170:09), went 50.7 per cent in the faceoff circle, and despite being 34, at 6-foot-3 and 221 pounds, he has wheels, as NHL Edge data clocked him at a top speed of 23.06 mph last season, which ranked in the 87th percentile in the NHL.

Although he’s coming off his second-best point campaign in the NHL and likely eyeing a big contract, he may not come cheap, but if the Oilers can find a two-year deal at the right price, Coyle would be an excellent option to fill the Oilers’ potential void down the middle.

Hockey fans recognize elite performance instantly, and that’s exactly how Capital GMC Buick operates. With one of the city’s deepest selections of top-quality GMC and Buick vehicles and a customer experience built to win year after year, this dealership consistently leads the pack. Five current NHL players proudly drive vehicles from Capital GMC Buick, and for good reason. The store has been rated the #1 GM dealership in Canada by DealerRater for three consecutive years, is the only GM dealer in Edmonton endorsed by J.D. Power as a Dealer of Excellence, and has raised over $30,000 for the Stollery Children’s Hospital.