If it were up to Jason Dickinson, Connor Murphy, Kasperi Kapanen, and Connor Ingram, their next team would be the same team they played for at season’s end: the Edmonton Oilers.

Early playoff exit aside, when all four took to the microphones at Rogers Place for season-ending press conferences, they all shared a similar message.

“I love it here,” said Dickinson. “It’d be something I’m willing to talk to them about and get something moving.”

“I had a great experience here, and I don’t have anything bad to say,” said Murphy. “So grateful to be here and hopefully to continue that.”

“I do consider this home. My son was born here, and so it’s a special place,” said Kapanen. “Hopefully the talks will work out and I come back.”

“I really enjoyed my time here,” said Ingram. “I’d love to be back.”

All four had unique paths to joining the Oilers. Dickinson and Murphy were acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks within days of each other ahead of this year’s NHL trade deadline. Ingram came by trade, too, picked up from the Utah Mammoth for future considerations ahead of the season. Kapanen, meanwhile, was cast aside in November 2024 by the St. Louis Blues on waivers, and has since fit in like a glove in Edmonton.

But will all four return next season?

That will be up to the Oilers’ front office, with roughly $16.49 million in cap space, and each player’s respective agents to determine.

“I pay a guy to have those conversations for me,” quipped Ingram when asked about a potential return to Edmonton. “I know we waited until the end of the year. It was just a busy year and that was another thing I didn’t want to tack on top of it. So hopefully we’ll tackle it in the next couple weeks here.”

His status is likely the most insecure of the four, and the decision goes beyond himself. Tristan Jarry, who the Oilers spent far too much to acquire last December, has two years left on his contract carrying a $5.375-million cap hit. While Ingram posted better numbers this season, getting named the starting goalie not just in the regular season, but in the playoffs, too, Jarry’s contract says otherwise. The Oilers will need to be careful in whatever decision they make next, doubly so considering a weak free-agent class, and dwindling trade assets.

Kapanen could be considered the most likely to return, given a strong track record, scoring seven goals and 12 points in 18 playoff games in Edmonton. He’s coming off a one-year, $1.3-million contract and is likely due for a raise, but it’s clear where he wants to be.

“It’s a shame it ended the way it did this year, but hopefully it wasn’t my last game as an Oiler,” he said.

Similarly to how well Kapanen has fit, both Dickinson and Murphy quickly made names for themselves for their play in Edmonton. It was a tough way for things to end for Dickinson, playing through a broken foot that came off a Murphy shot late in the regular season. He’ll likely need to roll back his salary from the $4.25 million it was this year, half of which Chicago ate in the trade, but he felt the fit in Edmonton.

“The crowd is amazing, the organization treats you fantastic, the city feels like home,” he said.

And when it comes to Murphy, his hard-nosed style of play harkened back to some of the most beloved Oilers defenceman in franchise history. His next deal could be the most expensive of the four, coming off a $4.4-million deal which Chicago also retained half on. Whether a similar deal could get done or not, he and his wife loved the fit in Edmonton.

“Being in Chicago for 9 years was great and built such a close-knit bond with that city, community, and team,” he said. “But to have a new challenge and new staff and people to learn off of and feed off of is really, really unique and fun to experience at any point in your career.

“My son’s almost 2, so I think he’d be happy probably anywhere. But my wife especially has really loved it and gelled with all the wives and girlfriends here, have been accepting and (she has) built friendships with them already. So that part is really important, and when that all can gel, I think that’s really important for it to fit.”

Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s managing editor, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the Daily Faceoff DFS Hockey Report. He can be followed on X at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.