The Edmonton Oilers announced on Monday that they have signed winger Cameron Wright to a one-year, two-way contract.
The #Oilers have signed Cameron Wright to a one-year, two-way contract with an AAV of $952,000. The forward scored 12 goals & 9 assists in 48 games with the @Condors last season. We have also recalled forward Matt Savoie from Bakersfield. https://t.co/uRRFxniD8N
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) October 7, 2024
The contract carries an AAV of $952,000 which is for the upcoming season. As it is a two-way contract, the AAV is what Wright would be paid at the NHL level.
He first joined the organization in the summer of 2023 as an AHL signing with the Bakersfield Condors. He was just a year into his professional career after spending four seasons with Bowling Green State University, spending the 2022-23 season with the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies where he led the team in scoring with 63 points (29 goals and 24 assists) in 64 games.
The signing initially flew under the radar given it was an AHL singing, and this past season saw Wright impress with strong two-way play. In 48 games with the Condors, he put up 21 points (12 goals and nine assists) in 48 games played while going scoreless in two postseason games.
Having already been assigned to the AHL during training camp, the abnormally high cap hit is partly due to the impression he has made on the Oilers organization and partly due to helping them get the team cap compliant for the upcoming campaign. For the team to be able to safely put Evander Kane on LTIR without getting an overage, they needed to have two contracts on the books that got them within $53 of the cap hit.
Wright was one of them while the other was Matthew Savoie was called up in a paper transaction and both of them being on the books at the deadline helps Edmonton maximize their space when Kane goes on LTIR. The expectation is that once Wright’s contract becomes registered on Tuesday, he and Savoie will both be reassigned to the Condors.
Once both get sent down to the AHL, the Oilers are likely going to ink PTO singing Travis Dermott to a one-year contract. While his contract is expected to be close to the league minimum, it will still keep Edmonton cap-compliant due to Wright and Savoie having been on the books on Monday.
Cap shenanigans aside, it is certainly possible that Wright actually ends up on the Oilers at some point in case the team runs into injuries. He has certainly impressed the team enough to secure an NHL contract to help them get compliant.
