Yesterday was the deadline for teams to make a final decision on their pending RFA’s, and it resulted in some fairly interesting decisions by some clubs.
A fresh wave of names are now scheduled to hit the UFA market on Canada Day, and the Oilers should definitely be making calls on a few of them.
It is important to remember that just because these players were qualified doesn’t mean their original teams won’t sign them before free agency opens on July 1st. We already saw an example of this as the Carolina Hurricanes re-signed Phil Di Giuseppe just hours after announcing they wouldn’t qualify him.
Still, out of the players I have listed below, I think there is a good chance a few of them find their way to the open market.

ANTHONY DUCLAIR

Despite playing in just 213 career NHL games, Duclair has already been apart of three separate NHL organizations. He surprisingly made the New York Rangers in 2014-15 but was sent back to junior after 18 games.
He was dealt to Arizona at the 2015 deadline and in his first year with the Coyotes, he notched 44 points in 81 games. Since then, he’s struggled to produce that amount of offense. In 114 games since that season, he’s scored just 16 goals and 22 assists.
Now, after 23 games with the Chicago Blackhawks, he’s set to hit the UFA market as a 22-year-old.
In his brief stint in Chicago, he did post a 1.35 primary points/60 at 5v5. That number would have put him 4th on the Oilers. He also had a decent run with Jonathan Toews. When they were on the ice together, Toews saw his GF% increase as well as his SCF% (scoring chances for) even though their offensive zone starts barely increased (1.04%).
I see Duclair as a young player who could benefit from the opportunity to play consistently with skill. He should come fairly cheap as well. I would be all for the Oilers taking a flyer on the young Canadian forward this July.

TOBIAS RIEDER

Cam Lewis went in-depth on Rieder yesterday, so I’ll keep this part short. I think Reider is a solid bottom-six forward, who can also be a solid penalty killer. His GA/60 on the PK would have been one of the best rates amongst Oilers forwards.
He played 132 minutes at even-strength with Jeff Carter, and although Carters numbers dropped, the two were still a productive duo.
Rieder does have a history with the organization but that was two General Managers ago. If the Oilers made the best offer, I’m sure he wouldn’t automatically dismiss them.

DEVANTE SMITH-PELLY

He went from being bought out, to signing a two-way deal in Washington, to becoming a Stanley Cup hero. It’s been a wild year for Smith-Pelly, and now it looks like he’ll become an unrestricted free agent, although it’s worth noting that the Capitals say they are still negotiating with him.
He scored just 16 points in 75 regular season games this year before producing eight points in 24 playoff games. He also potted three goals in the last three games of the Stanley Cup Finals.
Smith-Pelly is a physical, bottom-six forward and you know that there are lots of teams who will look at his play during The Stanley Cup Finals and probably over-value him.
For that reason, I think the Oilers should stay away from the 26-year-old. Let someone else make the mistake of overpaying him.

DANIEL CARR

Carr scored 16 points in 38 NHL games with the Montreal Canadiens this past season, and although he only played 418 minutes, he was fourth on the Habs with a 1.60 points/60
He has been described as a player who works hard, has decent speed, and good hands. Those three attributes are all things the Oilers should value in a role player and his lack of NHL experience should make him a rather cheap addition to the teams bottom-six.
If the Oilers were to take a chance on Carr and he didn’t stick in the NHL, he could still be a productive AHL forward for the organization. In 20 games with the Laval Rocket last season, he posted 19 points.
On top of all of that, he’s a Sherwood Park product who played his two years of junior hockey with the St. Albert Steel of the AJHL. He’s a local boy, so there’s a decent chance in him being interested in playing for his hometown team.
Out of the forwards I’ve listed, Carr would probably be the cheapest option and based on a tweet sent out by his agent, it doesn’t sound like Carr will be back in Montreal.

RILEY SHEAHAN

After being acquired early in the year by the Pittsburgh Penguins, Sheahan put together a pretty decent 17-18 campaign. Not only did he notch11 goals and 21 assists in 73 games, but he was also one of the Penguins best penalty killers. His 197 minutes were the second most on the Pens and 53 more than any Oilers forward. With that being said, Pittsburgh’s penalty kill was only 2.5% better than Edmonton’s.
Still, I think Sheahan would be a perfect addition to the Oilers bottom-six. He can play on the wing or down the middle, contribute a little offense, and provide an experienced option for the penalty kill.
There is still talk that the Penguins are negotiating with Sheahan, but with Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby, and Derick Brassard all locked up next year, it might be tough for them to squeeze in another centre.

THE WRAP

Obviously, I don’t want the Oilers to go out and sign four of these players. There simply isn’t enough room on the roster for that. But the reality is that they’re a team that needs to sign two or three more forwards and are tight against the salary cap.
Apart from the players I listed, there were some other names I found intriguing. Petr Mrazek and Robin Lehner will both become UFA’s, but there’s no chance the Oilers bring in another goalie. They could use another defenseman, maybe they’ll take a run at one of Dylan DeMelo (SJS), Derrick Pouliot (VAN), or maybe even Brandon Davidson (NYI). I doubt Davidson would come back to an organization who have dealt him in two consecutive seasons, but you never know. He did like it here.
For the Oilers, the best way to find value is to sign cheap wingers who can outproduce their cap hit. Tobias Rieder and Riley Sheahan might be a little bit too rich for the Oilers liking, so that might not be a fit.
Duclair and Carr could both likely be had for around or under $1 million and I think they have some untapped NHL potential. The team wants to get quicker, and it’s clear that there is an opportunity for Peter Chiarelli to do that while still staying under the cap.

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