This year’s free agent crop in the NHL got snapped up very quickly. There weren’t very many impactful players who made it to day two of free agency, never mind week two. <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/eight-notable-nhl-free-agents-who-havent-signed-contracts-yet">Cam Lewis wrote about some of the notable UFAs</a> still available earlier today, and I want to focus in on a handful of them to see if there&#8217;s a fit here in Edmonton. 
Still, some intriguing veterans are still on the market who could help contending teams, but do any of them fit with the Oilers? 

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<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-157531 " src="http://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot-2024-07-11-at-11.08.48-AM-1024x737.png" alt="" width="706" height="508" srcset="https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot-2024-07-11-at-11.08.48-AM-1024x737.png 1024w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot-2024-07-11-at-11.08.48-AM-300x216.png 300w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot-2024-07-11-at-11.08.48-AM-768x552.png 768w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot-2024-07-11-at-11.08.48-AM.png 1404w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 706px) 100vw, 706px" />
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I fully expect most of these players to find new homes before the start of training camp, but some may be forced to sign a PTO and earn their way onto a roster.
There are a few players on this list who I am pretty surprised to still see sitting without a contract. 
Daniel Sprong had a great year in Detroit, and considering the Red Wings still have close to $20 million in cap space, I’m surprised they didn’t get something done. He’s a quality depth player who can score in bunches.
Tyler Johnson is another player on here who is coming off a pretty strong season with the rebuilding Chicago Blackhawks. He scored at a 20-goal pace and has been on a handful of deep playoff runs with the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he won two Stanley Cups. I feel like there should be a few contending teams interested in bringing him in as a veteran depth option.
At first glance, I thought maybe he could even be a decent 4C insurance play for the Oilers, but after digging into things a bit, he only took 351 faceoffs last season, and he doesn’t kill penalties. 
He likely wouldn’t get close to 20 goals on a contending team because he wouldn’t get the same amount of ice time and opportunity, but I think he could still help a team that’s trying to win. He just isn’t a fit in Edmonton.
Mike Hoffman is a natural goal scorer, but he barely cracked the double-digit mark last season with the San Jose Sharks. Could he get back to the 15-20 goal range if you threw him with a skilled centre and gave him some powerplay time? That is probably true, but the Oilers don’t have spots for that.
Two years ago, the idea of taking a stab at someone like Max Pacioretty, who has really slowed down but should be 100% healthy for the first time in a few seasons, would have excited me, but they made their bets on just flat-out better players with higher upside.
The Oilers actually have a decent number of depth options that they could probably rely on next season.
I think both <a href="https://publish.oilersnation.com/2023/07/29/what-do-the-edmonton-oilers-have-in-lane-pederson/">Lane Pederson</a> and <a href="https://publish.oilersnation.com/2024/07/01/noah-philp-makes-return-official-signs-one-year-contract-with-edmonton-oilers/">Noah Philp</a> will get looks with the big club next year if they want to mix up their 4C spot. Raphael Lavoie is another guy who will get some looks as injuries hit throughout the season. <a href="https://publish.oilersnation.com/2024/07/05/what-matthew-savoie-brings-to-the-edmonton-oilers/">Newly acquired Matt Savoie</a> will be in the conversation as well.
They also have farmhands like James Hamblin and possibly even someone like <a href="https://publish.oilersnation.com/2023/07/01/edmonton-oilers-to-sign-forward-drake-caggiula/">Drake Caggiula</a>, who could slide in if the team really got hit hard by the injury bug.
Right now, their top 13 forwards appear to be locked in, and they have a pretty solid run of depth options down in Bakersfield. The Oilers aren’t really in a spot where they need to go out and take a bunch of flyers on players late in free agency.
Again, the Oilers of years past probably would have been linked to players like Jakub Vrana, who’s scored at an incredible rate in the past but, at this point, is viewed as more of a reclamation project. Even Filip Zadina, a former top-ten pick, is a guy who I could see a team that’s not quite as complete as the Oilers having an interest in.
Even the defensemen on this list don’t overly excite me. I think <a href="https://publish.oilersnation.com/2023/12/02/nhl-notebook-predators-tyson-barrie-given-permission-to-seek-trade-blue-jackets-daniil-tarasov-placed-on-ltir-and-more/">Tyson Barrie</a> still has something left to give as a third-pairing defenseman, and the same goes for Tony DeAngelo. The Oilers don’t need that kind of defenseman, though, and they’ve already made their depth bets on the blue line.
The Edmonton Oilers are, in all likelihood, done their summer shopping. Their depth chart seems full, and there’s no reason to take a stab at a veteran who isn’t better than the pieces they currently have.
They’re <a href="https://puckpedia.com/team/edmonton-oilers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tight to the cap</a>, and they already have a solid group of forwards. There’s no reason to add more names to the mix.
Edmonton isn’t searching for scraps anymore. They’re a legit destination and that feels good.
<h2>PRESENTED BY STAR MECHANICAL</h2>
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This year’s free agent crop in the NHL got snapped up very quickly. There weren’t very many impactful players who made it to day two of free agency, never mind week two. <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/eight-notable-nhl-free-agents-who-havent-signed-contracts-yet">Cam Lewis wrote about some of the notable UFAs</a> still available earlier today, and I want to focus in on a handful of them to see if there's a fit here in Edmonton. 

Still, some intriguing veterans are still on the market who could help contending teams, but do any of them fit with the Oilers?


<hr />

<img class="aligncenter wp-image-157531 " src="http://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot-2024-07-11-at-11.08.48-AM-1024x737.png" alt="" width="706" height="508" />

<hr />

I fully expect most of these players to find new homes before the start of training camp, but some may be forced to sign a PTO and earn their way onto a roster.

There are a few players on this list who I am pretty surprised to still see sitting without a contract. 

Daniel Sprong had a great year in Detroit, and considering the Red Wings still have close to $20 million in cap space, I’m surprised they didn’t get something done. He’s a quality depth player who can score in bunches.

Tyler Johnson is another player on here who is coming off a pretty strong season with the rebuilding Chicago Blackhawks. He scored at a 20-goal pace and has been on a handful of deep playoff runs with the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he won two Stanley Cups. I feel like there should be a few contending teams interested in bringing him in as a veteran depth option.

At first glance, I thought maybe he could even be a decent 4C insurance play for the Oilers, but after digging into things a bit, he only took 351 faceoffs last season, and he doesn’t kill penalties. 

He likely wouldn’t get close to 20 goals on a contending team because he wouldn’t get the same amount of ice time and opportunity, but I think he could still help a team that’s trying to win. He just isn’t a fit in Edmonton.

Mike Hoffman is a natural goal scorer, but he barely cracked the double-digit mark last season with the San Jose Sharks. Could he get back to the 15-20 goal range if you threw him with a skilled centre and gave him some powerplay time? That is probably true, but the Oilers don’t have spots for that.

Two years ago, the idea of taking a stab at someone like Max Pacioretty, who has really slowed down but should be 100% healthy for the first time in a few seasons, would have excited me, but they made their bets on just flat-out better players with higher upside.

The Oilers actually have a decent number of depth options that they could probably rely on next season.

I think both <a href="https://publish.oilersnation.com/2023/07/29/what-do-the-edmonton-oilers-have-in-lane-pederson/">Lane Pederson</a> and <a href="https://publish.oilersnation.com/2024/07/01/noah-philp-makes-return-official-signs-one-year-contract-with-edmonton-oilers/">Noah Philp</a> will get looks with the big club next year if they want to mix up their 4C spot. Raphael Lavoie is another guy who will get some looks as injuries hit throughout the season. <a href="https://publish.oilersnation.com/2024/07/05/what-matthew-savoie-brings-to-the-edmonton-oilers/">Newly acquired Matt Savoie</a> will be in the conversation as well.

They also have farmhands like James Hamblin and possibly even someone like <a href="https://publish.oilersnation.com/2023/07/01/edmonton-oilers-to-sign-forward-drake-caggiula/">Drake Caggiula</a>, who could slide in if the team really got hit hard by the injury bug.

Right now, their top 13 forwards appear to be locked in, and they have a pretty solid run of depth options down in Bakersfield. The Oilers aren’t really in a spot where they need to go out and take a bunch of flyers on players late in free agency.

Again, the Oilers of years past probably would have been linked to players like Jakub Vrana, who’s scored at an incredible rate in the past but, at this point, is viewed as more of a reclamation project. Even Filip Zadina, a former top-ten pick, is a guy who I could see a team that’s not quite as complete as the Oilers having an interest in.

Even the defensemen on this list don’t overly excite me. I think <a href="https://publish.oilersnation.com/2023/12/02/nhl-notebook-predators-tyson-barrie-given-permission-to-seek-trade-blue-jackets-daniil-tarasov-placed-on-ltir-and-more/">Tyson Barrie</a> still has something left to give as a third-pairing defenseman, and the same goes for Tony DeAngelo. The Oilers don’t need that kind of defenseman, though, and they’ve already made their depth bets on the blue line.

The Edmonton Oilers are, in all likelihood, done their summer shopping. Their depth chart seems full, and there’s no reason to take a stab at a veteran who isn’t better than the pieces they currently have.

They’re <a href="https://puckpedia.com/team/edmonton-oilers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tight to the cap</a>, and they already have a solid group of forwards. There’s no reason to add more names to the mix.

Edmonton isn’t searching for scraps anymore. They’re a legit destination and that feels good.
<h2>PRESENTED BY STAR MECHANICAL</h2>
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-146181" src="http://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Article-2-SME.png" alt="" width="728" height="404" />

Star Mechanical is one of Edmonton’s biggest locally owned and operated plumbing and heating businesses. They have been working within the community for over 20 years, and many of the homes built in Edmonton over the last two decades have had their plumbing and heating systems installed by Star Mechanical.  Visit them at <a href="http://starmechanical.ca/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://starmechanical.ca&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1707492487512000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2mVs3WUkp8iUCZ0kJRe9lJ">starmechanical.ca</a> to schedule an appointment and let them help keep your home running smoothly.

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