After a disappointing first-round exit against the Anaheim Ducks, the Edmonton Oilers head into the summer with more questions than answers. The team still has Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl at the centre of everything, but the version of the roster around them clearly wasn’t good enough.

That leaves general manager Stan Bowman with a long list of decisions to make over the coming months.

Some are straightforward. Others are more complicated.

The Oilers have several veterans approaching unrestricted free agency, a handful of younger players in need of new contracts, and limited cap flexibility despite another increase to the NHL salary ceiling. Some players fit well but may become too expensive to keep, depth pieces who still hold value internally, and former prospects approaching the end of their runway with the organization.

Not every move this summer will define the future of the Oilers. But after the way last season ended, the margin for error around the edges of the roster feels smaller than it has in years.

Here’s a look at all of Edmonton’s restricted and unrestricted free agents heading into the 2026 off-season.

The Oilers acquired Colton Dach, along with pending unrestricted free agent Jason Dickinson, from the Blackhawks ahead of last season’s trade deadline. The St. Albert product scored two goals and four points in eight games with Edmonton while missing time with a lower-body injury.

Dach has now completed his entry-level contract. Selected 62nd overall by Chicago in the 2021 NHL Draft, the 23-year-old forward has recorded seven goals and 20 points in 86 NHL games, along with 23 goals and 53 points over 81 games at the AHL level.

Edmonton likely views Dach as a low-cost roster option who can compete for a regular role in the bottom-six. His combination of size, physical play, and ability to move around the lineup fits the type of player the Oilers have targeted in recent seasons.

A two-year contract with an average annual value in the $1-1.5 million range would make sense for both sides, giving Edmonton some cost certainty while allowing Dach an opportunity to establish himself as a full-time NHL player.

Another in-season acquisition, the Oilers sent a third-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft to the Predators in exchange for Spencer Stastney, adding a left-shot defenceman after Brett Kulak was moved to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Stastney appeared in 36 games with Edmonton, recording one point while averaging 16:02 per night.

Nashville selected Stastney in the fifth round of the 2018 NHL Draft out of the U.S. National Team Development Program. He spent four seasons at Notre Dame and represented the United States at the 2020 World Juniors before signing with the Predators in 2022.

Since turning professional, Stastney has settled into a depth-defenceman role capable of handling steady NHL minutes. Over 117 career games, the 26-year-old has recorded four goals and 19 points while averaging 15:52 per game.

Stastney is now a restricted free agent with arbitration rights after completing his second professional contract. A one-year deal would lead directly to unrestricted free agency next summer, making a short-term extension the more likely outcome if Edmonton sees him as part of its defensive depth moving forward.

Like Dach, Stastney fits the profile of a player the Oilers will likely try to keep on an inexpensive two-year contract, giving the team stability in the bottom half of the roster while preserving cap flexibility elsewhere.

The Oilers and Canucks swapped former mid-round prospects last June, with Bloom coming to Edmonton in exchange for Jayden Grubbe.

After recording 28 points over 129 AHL games with the Bakersfield Condors across the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons, Grubbe spent much of 2025-26 in the ECHL, posting 19 points in 28 games with the Fort Wayne Komets. Edmonton moved on from the 2021 third-round pick in exchange for another player looking for a fresh start.

Originally selected by the Sabres in the third round of the 2021 NHL Draft, Bloom was later traded to Vancouver in the Riley Stillman deal. The 6-foot-2 winger has spent most of his professional career in the ECHL, though he finished the 2025-26 season with Bakersfield, recording one goal and two points in three games with the Condors.

Both Grubbe and Bloom are now at the end of their entry-level contracts, leaving Edmonton with a decision on whether the latter is worth keeping in the system as a developmental project.

Järventie has reportedly agreed to a two-year contract with HC Ambrì-Piotta of Switzerland’s National League, but that doesn’t necessarily mean his time with the Oilers is over. Last summer, the Finnish winger signed a three-year deal with his hometown club in Tampere before later re-signing with Edmonton on a two-way contract.

Assuming Järventie’s deal with Ambrì-Piotta includes an NHL out clause, the contract was likely signed as a fallback option while the 23-year-old waits to see whether the Oilers still view him as part of their plans for 2026-27.

Selected 33rd overall by the Senators in the 2020 NHL Draft, Järventie was traded to Edmonton in July of 2024 in exchange for former first-round pick Xavier Bourgault. After being limited to just 24 AHL games across the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons because of injuries, Järventie rebounded with 23 goals and 47 points for the Bakersfield Condors in 2025-26.

The Oilers recalled Järventie for three games in March, marking his first NHL action since debuting with Ottawa in November of 2023. That recall suggests Edmonton still views the skilled Finn as a legitimate NHL option moving forward.

The Oilers signed Owen Michaels to a one-year entry-level contract in early April following the conclusion of his NCAA season, giving the organization another forward prospect to evaluate heading into the stretch run.

The 6-foot-2 forward recorded 13 goals and 26 points in 39 games for Western Michigan University in 2025-26 after posting 18 goals and 38 points over 42 games with the Broncos the previous season.

Michaels didn’t appear in any professional games following the signing and is already a restricted free agent at the end of his entry-level deal.

While he likely remains more of a long-term development project than an immediate NHL option, the Oilers will still have to decide this summer whether they see enough upside to keep him in the system on another short-term contract.

After posting impressive offensive numbers in the OHL, Matvei Petrov hasn’t been able to find the same level of production at the professional level. Edmonton’s sixth-round pick from the 2021 NHL Draft has spent the past three seasons in the AHL, recording 23 goals and 42 points over 141 games with the Bakersfield Condors.

Now 23 years old and at the end of his entry-level contract, Petrov appears to be approaching a crossroads in his development. While the winger still offers offensive upside, given his limited progression at the AHL level, it seems unlikely the Oilers will keep him around beyond his current deal.

One of the more interesting development stories in Edmonton’s system last season was goaltender Connor Ungar, who posted strong numbers across multiple stops in 2025-26.

The Oilers signed Ungar in March of 2024 following a strong collegiate campaign with Brock University. After posting a .903 save percentage in 35 ECHL games during the 2024-25 season, Ungar entered a crowded crease the following year as rookie prospects Nathaniel Day and Samuel Jonsson arrived in Fort Wayne.

Rather than losing playing time entirely, Ungar found success elsewhere in the ECHL. Playing on loan with the Orlando Solar Bears, he posted a .913 save percentage in 19 games and a .945 save percentage in four appearances with the Greensboro Gargoyles. He later earned his first opportunity in the AHL and responded with a .923 save percentage in 13 games for the Bakersfield Condors.

The Oilers already have two promising young goaltenders in Day and Jonsson, but Ungar’s progression last season likely earned him consideration as part of the organization’s longer-term depth picture in net.

Acquired alongside Colton Dach from the Blackhawks in March, Jason Dickinson has reached the end of the two-year, $8.4 million contract he signed with Chicago in January of 2024. The defensive-minded centre scored a career-high 22 goals and 35 points for the Blackhawks in 2023-24 and was rewarded with a mid-season extension.

Dickinson’s production returned closer to career norms over the course of that deal. After recording 16 points in 2024-25, the 30-year-old finished with seven goals and 17 points in 64 games split between Chicago and Edmonton in 2025-26.

The Oilers didn’t acquire Dickinson for offence. They brought him in to stabilize the third-line centre position and help repair a struggling penalty kill. Before the trade, Chicago owned the NHL’s top-ranked penalty kill, with Dickinson playing a significant role in that success.

The fit in Edmonton was solid, particularly in defensive situations and on the kill. The question now is how much term and money the Oilers are willing to commit to a player entering his 30s whose value is tied more to defensive reliability than offensive production.

The trade for Jason Dickinson was about improving the penalty kill and giving the Oilers a more reliable option at third-line centre after Adam Henrique struggled in the role. The veteran forward scored a career-low three goals and 15 points in 65 injury-riddled games during the 2025-26 season, while Edmonton was outscored 30-16 at even strength during his roughly 700 minutes on the ice.

The Oilers originally acquired Henrique from the Ducks ahead of the 2023-24 trade deadline before signing him to a two-year, $6 million contract following their run to the Stanley Cup Final. His first season in Edmonton was respectable, as he scored 12 goals and 17 points in 81 games while handling mostly third-line minutes and difficult defensive usage.

The second year of the deal was far less effective. Henrique struggled to stay healthy, his offence disappeared, and the Oilers eventually looked elsewhere for help down the middle by acquiring Dickinson at the deadline.

Given Dickinson’s arrival and Henrique’s decline at age 36, it seems unlikely Edmonton will look to bring the veteran forward back next season, unless it’s on a cheap, one-year pact to play on the fourth line and in special teams situations.

The Oilers acquired Max Jones alongside Trent Frederic from the Bruins ahead of the 2025 trade deadline. Originally selected by the Ducks in the first round of the 2016 NHL Draft, Jones reached unrestricted free agency early after Anaheim declined to issue him a qualifying offer following his second professional contract.

The Bruins signed the winger to a two-year contract worth $1 million annually on July 1, 2024. Jones made Boston’s opening-night roster and appeared in four games before clearing waivers early in the season.

He spent most of 2024-25 with the Providence Bruins, recording 13 goals and 21 points in 38 AHL games before being traded to Edmonton. After the move, Jones remained with the Oilers and posted one goal and two points across 19 regular-season games.

Jones cleared waivers again ahead of the 2025-26 season and spent time between Bakersfield and Edmonton, recording 18 points in 39 AHL games along with five points in 21 NHL appearances.

The 28-year-old is set to test unrestricted free agency for the second time in his career this summer. While Jones is unlikely to be a prominent part of Edmonton’s NHL lineup, there’s still value in retaining him as extra NHL depth who can move between the AHL and NHL when injuries arise.

The Oilers claimed Kasperi Kapanen off waivers from the Blues in November of 2024, adding some needed speed and depth on the wing a few months after St. Louis signed Dylan Holloway to an offer sheet.

Kapanen produced modest numbers during the regular season, scoring five goals and 13 points in 57 games, but he became a meaningful contributor during Edmonton’s playoff run. The winger recorded three goals and six points in 13 postseason games, highlighted by his overtime winner against the Golden Knights in the second round.

Edmonton brought Kapanen back on a one-year, $1.3 million contract ahead of the 2025-26 season, a raise on the one-year, $1 million deal with St. Louis the previous summer. Though injuries limited him to 41 regular-season games, the speedy Finn remained effective when healthy, posting 17 points while again elevating his play in the postseason with four goals and six points in the team’s six-game series loss to Anaheim.

Kapanen has built a reputation for timely playoff moments throughout his career, dating back to his overtime winner with Toronto as a rookie in 2017 and Finland’s gold-medal-winning goal at the 2016 World Juniors.

Now set to turn 30 in July, the former first-round pick will likely be looking for more term and security on his next contract. The question for Edmonton is whether Kapanen’s playoff impact outweighs the inconsistency that has followed him through much of his NHL career.

A Memorial Cup winner from his time with the WHL Oil Kings, Lazar returned to Edmonton on a one-year, $775,000 deal last summer, replacing Derek Ryan as a depth right-handed forward capable of winning faceoffs.

The former Senators first-round pick appeared in 45 regular-season games for Edmonton, recording four goals and six points while winning 61.2 percent of his draws. Lazar also dressed in five of Edmonton’s six playoff games, though he did not record a point.

The Oilers appear to have a younger option for the fourth-line centre role in Josh Samanski, who impressed during his first 24 NHL games. Still, the German pivot has yet to play more than 54 games in a season at any level, which could make a veteran depth option like Lazar appealing if the Oilers want additional stability at the bottom of the lineup.

After scoring 22 goals and 39 points with the Hurricanes in 2024-25, Jack Roslovic entered free agency looking for long-term security but struggled to find the contract he wanted. The skilled forward changed agents in September before eventually signing a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Oilers on the opening day of the regular season.

The fit worked well for both sides. Edmonton needed additional scoring depth after several off-season departures, while Roslovic needed an opportunity to rebuild his market value. The former Jets first-round pick responded with 21 goals in 69 games, finishing one shy of matching his career-high.

Roslovic will turn 30 midway through next season, leaving the Oilers with an interesting decision. Bringing him back on another short-term deal would make sense if both sides were open to it, but Edmonton should be cautious about committing significant term or money based on one productive season in a favourable situation.

Roslovic was undeniably a good fit, but the Oilers have repeatedly run into trouble by overcommitting to players who outperform modest contracts. With the salary cap rising and teams spending more aggressively in free agency, Roslovic probably priced himself beyond the type of value deal that made him attractive in the first place.

The Oilers acquired Jason Dickinson and Colton Dach from Chicago before the trade deadline, but Connor Murphy arrived in a separate deal with the Blackhawks. The move reunited the veteran defenceman with general manager Stan Bowman, who originally signed Murphy to his most recent contract.

Originally selected by the Coyotes in the first round of the 2011 NHL Draft, Murphy spent four seasons in Arizona before being traded to the Blackhawks in the Niklas Hjalmarsson deal during the summer of 2017.

Murphy is now at the end of the four-year, $4.4 million contract he signed with Chicago in August of 2021. Between the Blackhawks and Oilers in 2025-26, the right-shot defenceman recorded 17 points in 80 games while averaging 17:32 per night.

His role became more important during the playoffs. Murphy averaged 21:17 per game alongside Darnell Nurse and contributed two goals and three points in Edmonton’s six-game series loss to Anaheim. More importantly, he gave the Oilers a defensively reliable partner for their inconsistent $9.25 million defender, something the organization has struggled to find in recent years.

Given that fit, Murphy appears to be one of the more logical free agents for Edmonton to prioritize this summer, particularly if the Oilers view him as a stabilizing presence on the second pairing.

Shortly before the start of last season, the Oilers acquired Connor Ingram from the Utah Mammoth in exchange for future considerations. The former third-round pick of the Lightning in the 2016 NHL Draft was coming off a difficult season in Utah and appeared to benefit from a change of scenery.

After beginning the year with the Bakersfield Condors, Ingram was recalled to Edmonton and eventually emerged as one of the steadier options in a constantly rotating crease. The Saskatoon native posted a 16-10-3 record with a .899 save percentage during the regular season before adding two playoff wins.

Ingram is now at the end of the three-year, $5.85 million contract he signed with the Coyotes in June of 2023 and will be eligible for unrestricted free agency for the first time in his career this summer.

With Tristan Jarry already under contract for three more seasons at $5.375 million annually, the Oilers will need to decide whether Ingram fits as part of a longer-term tandem or whether they want to look elsewhere for support in net.

It appears Calvin Pickard’s time with the Oilers has come to an end, as the veteran goaltender posted a “Goodbye, Edmonton” message to his Instagram page following the team’s first-round playoff exit.

The Oilers originally signed the Moncton, New Brunswick native to a two-year, two-way contract in July of 2022 with the expectation that he would serve as Bakersfield’s starting goaltender. After a strong first season with the Condors, Pickard was recalled during the 2023-24 campaign as Jack Campbell struggled at the NHL level.

Pickard quickly established himself as a reliable option behind Stuart Skinner and earned a two-year, $2 million extension following Edmonton’s first trip to the Stanley Cup Final. His role expanded during the 2024-25 season, when he posted a 22-10-1 record with a .900 save percentage before going 7-1 in eight playoff appearances.

The additions of Connor Ungar and Tristan Jarry in 2025-26 ultimately pushed Pickard out of Edmonton’s goalie plans. An excellent soldier and teammate for the Oilers over his four years with the club, the 34-year-old should be able to find an NHL backup gig this summer.

After going undrafted, James Hamblin took an unconventional path to the NHL, first signing an AHL contract with the Bakersfield Condors before eventually earning an entry-level deal with the Oilers.

The Edmonton native appeared in 41 NHL games between the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons but spent the past two years exclusively in the AHL. Hamblin remained a productive player for Bakersfield, recording 45 points in 51 games during the 2024-25 season before adding 41 points in 64 games in 2025-26.

Now 27 years old, Hamblin is eligible for unrestricted free agency for the first time in his career. While he no longer projects as a significant NHL piece, he has developed into an important veteran presence for the Condors and still provides reliable organizational depth down the middle. Another short-term, two-way contract would make sense for both sides if the Oilers want continuity in Bakersfield.

The first-round pick of the Penguins from the 2019 NHL Draft, Poulin was dealt to Edmonton in December as part of the Tristan Jarry trade.

Through five professional seasons, the 6-foot-2 winger has only played 15 NHL games, meaning he’ll be eligible to test the open market as a Group VI unrestricted free agent this summer.

Poulin scored 19 goals and 43 points in 57 games for Pittsburgh’s AHL team in 2024-25, then improved to 21 goals and 49 points between Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Bakersfield in 2025-26.

After five seasons spent mostly in the minors, Poulin will likely be looking for his best path to an NHL opportunity this summer. The Oilers need cheap depth on the wings, but can’t promise a roster spot to a player with 15 games of experience.

Acquired alongside Nick Bjugstad from the Coyotes during the 2022-23 season, Dineen has become a steady presence on the Bakersfield blueline over the past several years.

The Oilers signed Dineen to a one-year, two-way extension shortly after the trade, then rewarded him with another contract following a strong 2023-24 campaign with the Condors. The left-shot defenceman has since settled into an important veteran role within Edmonton’s AHL group.

Dineen will turn 28 this summer and has appeared in 38 NHL games during his professional career, including four with the Oilers in 2024-25. While he does not project as a full-time NHL option, he has established himself as reliable organizational depth capable of handling top minutes in Bakersfield while serving as a recall option when injuries arise.