It’s been too long since What Would You Do Wednesday was a regular feature at Oilersnation. It’s time to change that.

We’re officially three hours away from free agency opening, and while Canadians across the nation will be heading out for Canada Day celebrations, getting their faces painted and hitting up the petting zoo, we’re here to grind away on another free agent frenzy.

The Oilers enter free agency with $7.415 million in cap space, according to our friends at PuckPedia. It’s likely less than the team wants, as attempts to abide by Darnell Nurse’s trade request have seemingly stalled, and that’s become a problem. By all accounts, the Oilers are looking to move as much of his $9.25 million contract as possible, and while there are options out there, including the Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Boston Bruins, the three teams he’s reportedly said he’d accept a trade to, none seem to be in a rush.

The two Pennsylvania clubs have more than enough cap space to bring Nurse into their mix, but both seem to want the Oilers to take back a bad contract. That just doesn’t work for where the Oilers are at right now. And when it comes to Boston, they are in a similar cap situation, with $7.7 million in cap space. There’s word they want to clear out cap space, or get the Oilers to take a bad contract back.

Until a Nurse move happens, the Oilers are in somewhat of a stalemate. They can chip away at the edges of their roster, but addressing major issues — like adding a top-six winger and trying, once again, to fix their goaltending department — feels like it’s in a holding pattern.

All signs point to seven Oilers from last year’s roster leaving, or at the very least, testing the free agent market: forwards Adam Henrique, Curtis Lazar, Kasperi Kapanen, Jack Roslovic and Max Jones, and goaltenders Calvin Pickard and Connor Ingram. After tendering qualifying offers to Colton Dach and Spencer Stastney, among others, both will need new deals.

The Oilers still have the buyout of Jack Campbell on their books at $2.6 million for next season, before the dollar amount drops to $1.5 million in the following three years.

Here’s a look at the Oilers roster as it stands, courtesy of PuckPedia’s PuckGM tool:

There are plenty of ways to construct an NHL roster, and when it comes to the Oilers, we know some things. The Oilers will likely start next season with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on separate lines. McDavid will surely have Zach Hyman on one flank, while Vasily Podkolzin will fit alongside Draisaitl. Jason Dickinson will be Edmonton’s third-line centre next year in matchup situations, while Josh Samanski has shown enough to be the Oilers’ 4C. On the blue line, Evan Bouchard will anchor the top pair, Connor Murphy the second, and Ty Emberson the third.

Those are the known things heading into next year, but what comes next is a mixed bag. I can see Matt Savoie starting on the top line with McDavid and Hyman, as he broke out late in the year on that top line, and Savoie’s most common linemate in Edmonton’s first-round loss to the Ducks was No. 97. The Oilers will likely look to add a top-six winger to play alongside Draisaitl, while I can see Ryan Nugent-Hopkins starting on the third-line left wing spot to help form that matchup line.

Isaac Howard should have a path to making the team out of camp, and I like the idea of him flanking Nugent-Hopkins and Dickinson. He can learn more about the defensive game from those two, and could help offer some offensive upside for that line.

Trent Frederic will slot in somewhere in the bottom-six, and I can see him and Dach, once he signs, flanking Samanski as the Bash Bros reunite. Mattias Janmark should be recovered from his shoulder surgery in time for training camp, and he’s going to be hard-pressed for minutes next season.

Defensively, Mattias Ekholm will likely start with Bouchard, while Jake Walman will be expected to slide up and replace Nurse on the second-pairing. Given the marriage ending between Nurse and the Oilers, I have him listed as an extra defenceman.

Edmonton needs to address the goaltending department once again. I’m sure the Oilers would love to find a trade partner to take Tristan Jarry seven months after trading him, but that might be easier to do next summer.

That’s the question everyone is waiting to be answered. Truth be told, there hasn’t been much information about the Oilers’ free agency plans hitting the public sphere. Surely the Oilers have plans, but whatever happens seems contingent on the Darnell Nurse trade.

Maybe a quiet July 1 is good for the Oilers. After all, the last two brought the Oilers Andrew Mangiapane, Jeff Skinner, Viktor Arvidsson, and Josh Brown.

What would you do if you were the Oilers?

Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s managing editor and The Nation Network’s news director. He can be followed on X at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.

Daily Faceoff is your Free Agency Headquarters! Big moves. Breaking news. Instant analysis. Daily Faceoff is bringing the team together July 1st for a live Free Agency Special featuring Jeff Marek, Tyler Yaremchuk, Carter Hutton, and Dave Pagnotta. Tune in at noon ET on the Daily Faceoff YouTube Channel and socials for full coverage as the NHL landscape changes – with the PuckPedia-powered signing tracker keeping you up to date on every deal as it happens.