Kasperi Kapanen is coming back to Edmonton.

The Edmonton Oilers are running it back with the Finnish winger, having agreed to a one-year contract worth $2.6 million. In the 2025-26 season, he scored eight goals and 17 points in just half the action due to multiple lower-body injuries.

Kapanen showed up in the first round of the playoffs, leading the Oilers in goals with four against the Anaheim Ducks. He finished the playoffs with six points, the same total he had in a dozen playoff games in 2025.

That was due to the chemistry built with Leon Draisaitl and Vasily Podkolzin.

Just before the deal was finalized, general manager Stan Bowman faced questions from reporters about the Oilers’ day in free agency. He said that with the increased cap space, there were more possibilities at forward.

Kapanen became a member of the Oilers as a waiver pickup in 2024-25 from the St. Louis Blues.

Originally drafted in the first round back in 2014 by Pittsburgh, Kapanen was a big piece in the Phil Kessel trade and started his career in Toronto. He played parts of five seasons as a Maple Leaf, including putting up a career high 20 goals and 44 points in 2018-19 under Edmonton’s new coach, Mike Babcock.

He went on to play parts of three seasons with Pittsburgh before being waived and picked up by St. Louis.

In total, Kapanen has played 568 games, scoring 98 goals and 239 points.

This re-signing rounds out a tidy day of business for Bowman, highlighted by the trading of Darnell Nurse to the San Jose Sharks without retaining any of his $9.25 million. The Oilers also got defenceman Shakir Mukhamadullin and defensive prospect Zack Sharp in the deal.

The day began by acquiring young goaltender Devon Levi from the Buffalo Sabres for a 2028 third-round pick to pair with veteran Tristan Jarry. To shore up the left side, former Pittsburgh Penguins defenceman Ryan Shea signed a five-year contract worth $4 million per season.

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