<p>Signed, sealed and delivered, the <a href="http://oilersnation.com/combinations">Edmonton Oilers</a> are off to the post-season dance after a tumultuous regular season.</p>
<p></p>
<p>Calling the season a slog could be putting it mildly, as the Oilers sputtered and restarted more times than an old farm truck through 82 games. I highlighted some of those ups and downs in the bigger picture of the season in my <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/04/17/recapping-edmonton-oilers-2024-25-season-after-win-over-san-jose-sharks/">Day After column</a> following the Sharks game this week, but in this space, we&#8217;re going to get into the weeds of the 2024-25 regular season and find some key takeaways.</p>
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<h2>Corey Perry defies Father Time</h2>
<p>When the Oilers <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2024/07/01/edmonton-oilers-sign-corey-perry-to-one-year-contract-for-1-4-million/">signed Corey Perry</a> last summer to a one-year, $1.15 million extension, there were certainly some question marks. After joining the team partway through last season, Perry looked solid during the regular season, scoring eight goals and 13 points in 38 games, chipping in another goal and three points in 19 playoff games.</p>
<p>He had missed some post-season action as a scratch, and it seemed as if the game had been passing him by. That&#8217;s what brought forth some discontent about his signing, even though it was — all things considered — a fairly low-risk deal. But Perry certainly outperformed his deal, scoring 19 goals and 30 points in 81 regular-season games this year. It was his highest goal and point totals since the 2021-22 season.</p>
<p>What made it so impressive, however, was that he did it largely in a depth role for the team. Perry scored 1.18 goals per hour, which was the highest mark he&#8217;s posted since the 2015-16 season while playing the second-fewest time-on-ice per game over his career at 11.9 minutes.</p>
<p>There&#8217;s an argument to be made that he&#8217;s been the Oilers&#8217; most consistent player this year beyond Leon Draisaitl, and if Perry can find ways to continue to contribute offence in the playoffs, that would be huge for the team.</p>
<h2>Scoring regression hits Hyman, Nugent-Hopkins, Bouchard hard</h2>
<p>This season wasn&#8217;t kind in the offensive department to <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/03/27/zach-hyman-300-nhl-games-oilers/">Zach Hyman</a>, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Evan Bouchard, as all three saw offensive regression.</p>
<p>Hyman went from 54 goals, 23 assists and 77 points in 80 games last year to 27 goals, 17 assists and 44 points this year.</p>
<p>Nugent-Hopkins went from 18 goals, 49 assists and 67 points to 20 goals, 29 assists and 49 points.</p>
<p>Bouchard went from 18 goals, 64 assists and 82 points to 14 goals, 53 assists and 67 points.</p>
<p>Ouch.</p>
<p>Hyman&#8217;s dip in goal scoring wasn&#8217;t a major shock given his 54-goal season came on the back of a massive 18.6 shooting percentage, which dipped to 12.9 percent this year, slightly below his career average of 13.6. That impacted the likes of Connor McDavid, Nugent-Hopkins and Bouchard, who had 35, 12 and 19 assists on Hyman&#8217;s goals last year, respectively.</p>
<p>Hyman still generated 37.8 individual expected goals this season, so he had more than enough looks. A goal-scoring heater from him in the playoffs would be massive.</p>
<hr />
<figure id="attachment_160275" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-160275" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-160275" src="http://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/USATSI_22961117_168383996_lowres-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="1708" srcset="https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/USATSI_22961117_168383996_lowres-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/USATSI_22961117_168383996_lowres-300x200.jpg 300w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/USATSI_22961117_168383996_lowres-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/USATSI_22961117_168383996_lowres-768x512.jpg 768w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/USATSI_22961117_168383996_lowres-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/USATSI_22961117_168383996_lowres-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-160275" class="wp-caption-text">Apr 6, 2024; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Calgary Flames defenseman Oliver Kylington (58) gets into a scrum with Edmonton Oilers right wing Corey Perry (90) during the first period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure>
<hr />
<h2>Offence still runs through McDavid and Draisaitl</h2>
<p>Few stories have run more rampant in Edmonton than their ability — or inability — to get depth scoring when the likes of McDavid and <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/04/17/edmonton-oilers-leon-draisaitl-wins-first-career-rocket-richard-trophy/">Draisaitl</a> aren&#8217;t on the ice.</p>
<p>It was an issue that plagued the team in the late 2010s, though it has, at times, trended in a positive direction.</p>
<p>This year, however, wasn&#8217;t such a case, as the Oilers&#8217; five-on-five goal share with them off the ice was as poor as it&#8217;s been since the 2021-22 season.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-173625" src="http://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/image-61-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="392" srcset="https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/image-61-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/image-61-300x46.jpg 300w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/image-61-1024x157.jpg 1024w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/image-61-768x118.jpg 768w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/image-61-1536x235.jpg 1536w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/image-61-2048x313.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
<p>The Oilers played the most minutes they have in recent years without their big two on the ice due to various injuries — and a three-game suspension — and the results weren&#8217;t great. They had a low shooting percentage and save percentage, controlling just 42.9 percent of the goal share at five-on-five.</p>
<p>That is, undoubtedly, concerning, considering that at the start of the year, the belief was that the team addressed that in a big way, acquiring Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson, who were expected to help provide some more offensive punch. That didn&#8217;t come until late in the season.</p>
<p>The with and without numbers are somewhat of a tale of two seasons, using sample sizes before the 4 Nations Face-Off and after.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-173626" src="http://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/image-62-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="202" srcset="https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/image-62-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/image-62-300x24.jpg 300w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/image-62-1024x81.jpg 1024w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/image-62-768x61.jpg 768w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/image-62-1536x121.jpg 1536w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/image-62-2048x161.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
<p>It&#8217;s promising to see the numbers leading into the 4-Nations, which are much more in line with what was seen over the last two seasons, but things really cratered after the break, with over half of those games coming when <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/04/16/edmonton-oilers-connor-mcdavid-fourth-player-100-point-seasons/">McDavid</a> and Draisaitl were hurt.</p>
<h2>Connor Brown finds another level</h2>
<p>What a season for Connor Brown. I didn&#8217;t think that I&#8217;d be saying that after <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2024/08/27/edmonton-oilers-2023-24-player-review-connor-brown/">what happened last season</a>, but he&#8217;s quietly had a strong season, scoring 13 goals and 30 points. His o.62 goals per hour and 1.6 points per hour at five-on-five are right at his career average mark, but based on his recovery from his ACL tear, it&#8217;s good to see him rebound to this mark.</p>
<p>Most importantly, and even more so than last year, his defensive metrics, accounting for goal against, expected goal against and scoring chance rates, have been strong — among the best for Oilers forwards, for that matter.</p>
<p>13 goals and 30 points may not jump off the table as great numbers or anything like that, and while it&#8217;s slightly inflated with five of those goals coming in the final eight regular season games with him in the top-six, it appears he&#8217;s going to remain there for the start of the Oilers first round series against the Kings.</p>
<h2>Fatigue and 4 Nations Face-Off impacted the Oilers</h2>
<p>I wrote about the <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/fatigue-injuries-caught-up-to-edmonton-oilers">fatigue portion of this</a> last week, highlighting how much hockey the team has played in recent years, as well as how they&#8217;ve been dealing with lots of injuries. But it&#8217;s worth mentioning the impact the 4-Nations Face-Off had.</p>
<p>Connor McDavid, <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/04/12/edmonton-mattias-ekholm-could-be-done-for-season-serious-injury-recall-two-from-bakersfield/">Mattias Ekholm</a> and Viktor Arvidsson all represented their respective countries at it, with the latter of the three the only one who really came out unscathed. McDavid looked tired, and Ekholm had battled illness before the tournament, which certainly didn&#8217;t help him return to the Oilers lineup to play at any significant level.</p>
<p>Ekholm was injured in late March, re-injuring himself when he returned for a game against the Sharks on April 11. Whatever happened is clearly not good, as he&#8217;s expected to miss the first round, at the very least, and the team has reportedly braced themselves for him to miss the entire post-season.</p>
<p>I loved the 4 Nations Face-Off as it was great to see NHL players in a best-on-best environment for the first time in far too long, but there was a toll. Any future tournaments like this really need to be held in the summer or in September, or at the very least, players should be given a chance to get proper rest. It seemed like the Oilers did that with McDavid down the stretch run of the regular season.</p>
<hr />
<figure id="attachment_172258" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-172258" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-172258" src="http://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/USATSI_25665027-scaled.jpg" alt="Edmonton Oilers Jake Walman" width="2560" height="1706" srcset="https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/USATSI_25665027-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/USATSI_25665027-300x200.jpg 300w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/USATSI_25665027-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/USATSI_25665027-768x512.jpg 768w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/USATSI_25665027-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/USATSI_25665027-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-172258" class="wp-caption-text">Mar 8, 2025; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers defensemen Jake Walman (96) looks to make a pass against Dallas Stars at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure>
<hr />
<h2>The Jake Walman acquisition was huge</h2>
<p>Speaking of Ekholm potentially being out for the rest of the season, the acquisition of <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/03/09/jake-walmans-puck-moving-impact-oilers/">Jake Walman</a> looks better and better by the day. He&#8217;s driven play offensively and defensively in a big way, and helps take some of the sting off losing Ekholm.</p>
<p>The Viking isn&#8217;t getting any younger either, and Walman&#8217;s contract has him locked up through the end of next season at just $ 3.4 million, according to <em><a href="https://puckpedia.com/player/jake-walman">PuckPedia</a>.</em></p>
<p>This year will mark his first time playing in the playoffs, which will certainly be another learning curve for him, but he&#8217;s passed the first test playing important games down the stretch run of the season.</p>
<h2>Questions remain  for the Oilers in goal</h2>
<p>The future in the crease in Edmonton really came into question in a big way for the first time this season. Stuart Skinner showed warts this season in his game, struggling for most of the season, while Calvin Pickard, solid for the most part, saw some regression in his numbers, too.</p>
<p>Both players are locked up for next season, but it&#8217;s clear that the team needs to address the position for next season. Pickard has been a formidable backup, but the team needs to find a better goaltender who can help spell Skinner if he struggles in the future.</p>
<h2>Oilers could have the cap space to go big game hunting in the summer</h2>
<p>The Oilers have positioned themselves well when it comes to their cap space heading into the next few years. With the salary cap rising to $ 95.5 million for next season, Edmonton will enter the summer with around $ 9.4 million in cap space</p>
<p>They have restricted free agents in Evan Bouchard, Noah Philp, Olivier Rodrigue, Cameron Wright, Alec Regula, and Roby Jarventie, but the latter is reportedly off <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/edmonton-oilers-prospect-roby-jarventie-play-in-finland">to play in Finland next season</a>.</p>
<p>Unrestricted free agents include Corey Perry, Jeff Skinner, Connor Brown, Kasperi Kapanen, Trent Frederic, John Klingberg, Derek Ryan, Lane Pederson, Drake Caggiula, Ronald Attard, Connor Carrick, Travis Dermott, Phil Kemp, and Collin Delia.</p>
<p>What happens with the Bouchard contract will be key, as it could really determine just how much room the Oilers have to play with. Despite that, I could envision a scenario where the team moves on from Adam Henrique this summer by way of trade (Winnipeg?) and gets out from Evander Kane&#8217;s contract. The team were rumoured to have approached him about <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2024/06/29/friedman-rumours-swirled-at-draft-oilers-asked-evander-kane-to-waive-no-movement-clause/">waiving his no-move clause at the draft</a> last summer, and they <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/03/07/at-least-one-team-interest-oilers-evander-kane-trade-deadline/">certainly tried to trade him</a> when his clause expired a week before the deadline. It wouldn&#8217;t surprise me one bit to see them get out from the final year of his contract by way of a trade, or a buyout (two years: $2,458,334 in 2025-26, $1,333,334 in 2026-27).</p>
<p>Assuming they buy him out, and that Matthew Savoie and David Tomasek make the roster next year with Max Jones as an extra forward and Noah Philp as the 4C on a two-year, $1.125 million AAV extension, that leaves them with three holes to fill on the wing with $15.89 million in cap space, according to <em>PuckPedia PuckGM </em>tool. For the sake of the argument, the Oilers bridge Bouchard with a two-year, $6 million AAV deal.</p>
<p>That leaves two spots on the third line wings to fill and $9.592 million in cap space to do so — and that&#8217;s assuming none of the unrestricted free agents the club has get re-signed.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-173631" src="http://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/PuckGM-Roster-Card-Sat-Apr-19-2025-14_29_10-GMT-0600-Mountain-Daylight-Time.png" alt="" width="898" height="689" srcset="https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/PuckGM-Roster-Card-Sat-Apr-19-2025-14_29_10-GMT-0600-Mountain-Daylight-Time.png 898w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/PuckGM-Roster-Card-Sat-Apr-19-2025-14_29_10-GMT-0600-Mountain-Daylight-Time-300x230.png 300w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/PuckGM-Roster-Card-Sat-Apr-19-2025-14_29_10-GMT-0600-Mountain-Daylight-Time-768x589.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 898px) 100vw, 898px" /></p>
<p>What gives me an inkling is the fact that they <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/edmonton-oilers-trade-extension-mikko-rantanen-rickard-rakell-ryan-donato">were in talks with the Carolina Hurricanes to acquire and sign Mikko Rantanen</a> to a long-term contract extension. He was eventually dealt to Dallas, inking an eight-year, $12 million AAV deal with the Stars. It also makes me wonder, given that, if the team does sign Bouchard to a bridge deal, even though that may not be the best move they could make.</p>
<p>Mitch Marner? Matt Duchene? Nikolaj Ehlers? Aaron Ekblad? Ivan Provorov?</p>
<p>Time will tell.</p>
<hr />
<p><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s associate editor, senior columnist, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QX_QCiZyIo&amp;list=PLRSWOpthKmdtmFOKQDd7TQdTU2KSKXYvX">DFO DFS Report</a>. He can be followed on Twitter, currently known as X, at</span></i> <em><a href="http://www.x.com/zjlaing"><span style="font-weight: 400;">@zjlaing</span></a></em><i><span style="font-weight: 400;"><em>,</em> or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.</span></i></p>
<hr />
<h2><strong>ARTICLE PRESENTED BY bet365</strong></h2>
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Edmonton Oilers celebrate goal against Calgary Flames

Signed, sealed and delivered, the <a href="http://oilersnation.com/combinations">Edmonton Oilers</a> are off to the post-season dance after a tumultuous regular season.



Calling the season a slog could be putting it mildly, as the Oilers sputtered and restarted more times than an old farm truck through 82 games. I highlighted some of those ups and downs in the bigger picture of the season in my <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/04/17/recapping-edmonton-oilers-2024-25-season-after-win-over-san-jose-sharks/">Day After column</a> following the Sharks game this week, but in this space, we're going to get into the weeds of the 2024-25 regular season and find some key takeaways.
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<h2>Corey Perry defies Father Time</h2>
When the Oilers <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2024/07/01/edmonton-oilers-sign-corey-perry-to-one-year-contract-for-1-4-million/">signed Corey Perry</a> last summer to a one-year, $1.15 million extension, there were certainly some question marks. After joining the team partway through last season, Perry looked solid during the regular season, scoring eight goals and 13 points in 38 games, chipping in another goal and three points in 19 playoff games.

He had missed some post-season action as a scratch, and it seemed as if the game had been passing him by. That's what brought forth some discontent about his signing, even though it was — all things considered — a fairly low-risk deal. But Perry certainly outperformed his deal, scoring 19 goals and 30 points in 81 regular-season games this year. It was his highest goal and point totals since the 2021-22 season.

What made it so impressive, however, was that he did it largely in a depth role for the team. Perry scored 1.18 goals per hour, which was the highest mark he's posted since the 2015-16 season while playing the second-fewest time-on-ice per game over his career at 11.9 minutes.

There's an argument to be made that he's been the Oilers' most consistent player this year beyond Leon Draisaitl, and if Perry can find ways to continue to contribute offence in the playoffs, that would be huge for the team.
<h2>Scoring regression hits Hyman, Nugent-Hopkins, Bouchard hard</h2>
This season wasn't kind in the offensive department to <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/03/27/zach-hyman-300-nhl-games-oilers/">Zach Hyman</a>, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Evan Bouchard, as all three saw offensive regression.

Hyman went from 54 goals, 23 assists and 77 points in 80 games last year to 27 goals, 17 assists and 44 points this year.

Nugent-Hopkins went from 18 goals, 49 assists and 67 points to 20 goals, 29 assists and 49 points.

Bouchard went from 18 goals, 64 assists and 82 points to 14 goals, 53 assists and 67 points.

Ouch.

Hyman's dip in goal scoring wasn't a major shock given his 54-goal season came on the back of a massive 18.6 shooting percentage, which dipped to 12.9 percent this year, slightly below his career average of 13.6. That impacted the likes of Connor McDavid, Nugent-Hopkins and Bouchard, who had 35, 12 and 19 assists on Hyman's goals last year, respectively.

Hyman still generated 37.8 individual expected goals this season, so he had more than enough looks. A goal-scoring heater from him in the playoffs would be massive.

<hr />

[caption id="attachment_160275" align="aligncenter" width="2560"]<img class="size-full wp-image-160275" src="http://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/USATSI_22961117_168383996_lowres-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="1708" /> Apr 6, 2024; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Calgary Flames defenseman Oliver Kylington (58) gets into a scrum with Edmonton Oilers right wing Corey Perry (90) during the first period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports[/caption]

<hr />

<h2>Offence still runs through McDavid and Draisaitl</h2>
Few stories have run more rampant in Edmonton than their ability — or inability — to get depth scoring when the likes of McDavid and <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/04/17/edmonton-oilers-leon-draisaitl-wins-first-career-rocket-richard-trophy/">Draisaitl</a> aren't on the ice.

It was an issue that plagued the team in the late 2010s, though it has, at times, trended in a positive direction.

This year, however, wasn't such a case, as the Oilers' five-on-five goal share with them off the ice was as poor as it's been since the 2021-22 season.

<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-173625" src="http://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/image-61-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="392" />

The Oilers played the most minutes they have in recent years without their big two on the ice due to various injuries — and a three-game suspension — and the results weren't great. They had a low shooting percentage and save percentage, controlling just 42.9 percent of the goal share at five-on-five.

That is, undoubtedly, concerning, considering that at the start of the year, the belief was that the team addressed that in a big way, acquiring Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson, who were expected to help provide some more offensive punch. That didn't come until late in the season.

The with and without numbers are somewhat of a tale of two seasons, using sample sizes before the 4 Nations Face-Off and after.

<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-173626" src="http://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/image-62-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="202" />

It's promising to see the numbers leading into the 4-Nations, which are much more in line with what was seen over the last two seasons, but things really cratered after the break, with over half of those games coming when <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/04/16/edmonton-oilers-connor-mcdavid-fourth-player-100-point-seasons/">McDavid</a> and Draisaitl were hurt.
<h2>Connor Brown finds another level</h2>
What a season for Connor Brown. I didn't think that I'd be saying that after <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2024/08/27/edmonton-oilers-2023-24-player-review-connor-brown/">what happened last season</a>, but he's quietly had a strong season, scoring 13 goals and 30 points. His o.62 goals per hour and 1.6 points per hour at five-on-five are right at his career average mark, but based on his recovery from his ACL tear, it's good to see him rebound to this mark.

Most importantly, and even more so than last year, his defensive metrics, accounting for goal against, expected goal against and scoring chance rates, have been strong — among the best for Oilers forwards, for that matter.

13 goals and 30 points may not jump off the table as great numbers or anything like that, and while it's slightly inflated with five of those goals coming in the final eight regular season games with him in the top-six, it appears he's going to remain there for the start of the Oilers first round series against the Kings.
<h2>Fatigue and 4 Nations Face-Off impacted the Oilers</h2>
I wrote about the <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/fatigue-injuries-caught-up-to-edmonton-oilers">fatigue portion of this</a> last week, highlighting how much hockey the team has played in recent years, as well as how they've been dealing with lots of injuries. But it's worth mentioning the impact the 4-Nations Face-Off had.

Connor McDavid, <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/04/12/edmonton-mattias-ekholm-could-be-done-for-season-serious-injury-recall-two-from-bakersfield/">Mattias Ekholm</a> and Viktor Arvidsson all represented their respective countries at it, with the latter of the three the only one who really came out unscathed. McDavid looked tired, and Ekholm had battled illness before the tournament, which certainly didn't help him return to the Oilers lineup to play at any significant level.

Ekholm was injured in late March, re-injuring himself when he returned for a game against the Sharks on April 11. Whatever happened is clearly not good, as he's expected to miss the first round, at the very least, and the team has reportedly braced themselves for him to miss the entire post-season.

I loved the 4 Nations Face-Off as it was great to see NHL players in a best-on-best environment for the first time in far too long, but there was a toll. Any future tournaments like this really need to be held in the summer or in September, or at the very least, players should be given a chance to get proper rest. It seemed like the Oilers did that with McDavid down the stretch run of the regular season.

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[caption id="attachment_172258" align="aligncenter" width="2560"]<img class="size-full wp-image-172258" src="http://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/USATSI_25665027-scaled.jpg" alt="Edmonton Oilers Jake Walman" width="2560" height="1706" /> Mar 8, 2025; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers defensemen Jake Walman (96) looks to make a pass against Dallas Stars at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images[/caption]

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<h2>The Jake Walman acquisition was huge</h2>
Speaking of Ekholm potentially being out for the rest of the season, the acquisition of <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/03/09/jake-walmans-puck-moving-impact-oilers/">Jake Walman</a> looks better and better by the day. He's driven play offensively and defensively in a big way, and helps take some of the sting off losing Ekholm.

The Viking isn't getting any younger either, and Walman's contract has him locked up through the end of next season at just $ 3.4 million, according to <em><a href="https://puckpedia.com/player/jake-walman">PuckPedia</a>.</em>

This year will mark his first time playing in the playoffs, which will certainly be another learning curve for him, but he's passed the first test playing important games down the stretch run of the season.
<h2>Questions remain  for the Oilers in goal</h2>
The future in the crease in Edmonton really came into question in a big way for the first time this season. Stuart Skinner showed warts this season in his game, struggling for most of the season, while Calvin Pickard, solid for the most part, saw some regression in his numbers, too.

Both players are locked up for next season, but it's clear that the team needs to address the position for next season. Pickard has been a formidable backup, but the team needs to find a better goaltender who can help spell Skinner if he struggles in the future.
<h2>Oilers could have the cap space to go big game hunting in the summer</h2>
The Oilers have positioned themselves well when it comes to their cap space heading into the next few years. With the salary cap rising to $ 95.5 million for next season, Edmonton will enter the summer with around $ 9.4 million in cap space

They have restricted free agents in Evan Bouchard, Noah Philp, Olivier Rodrigue, Cameron Wright, Alec Regula, and Roby Jarventie, but the latter is reportedly off <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/edmonton-oilers-prospect-roby-jarventie-play-in-finland">to play in Finland next season</a>.

Unrestricted free agents include Corey Perry, Jeff Skinner, Connor Brown, Kasperi Kapanen, Trent Frederic, John Klingberg, Derek Ryan, Lane Pederson, Drake Caggiula, Ronald Attard, Connor Carrick, Travis Dermott, Phil Kemp, and Collin Delia.

What happens with the Bouchard contract will be key, as it could really determine just how much room the Oilers have to play with. Despite that, I could envision a scenario where the team moves on from Adam Henrique this summer by way of trade (Winnipeg?) and gets out from Evander Kane's contract. The team were rumoured to have approached him about <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2024/06/29/friedman-rumours-swirled-at-draft-oilers-asked-evander-kane-to-waive-no-movement-clause/">waiving his no-move clause at the draft</a> last summer, and they <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/03/07/at-least-one-team-interest-oilers-evander-kane-trade-deadline/">certainly tried to trade him</a> when his clause expired a week before the deadline. It wouldn't surprise me one bit to see them get out from the final year of his contract by way of a trade, or a buyout (two years: $2,458,334 in 2025-26, $1,333,334 in 2026-27).

Assuming they buy him out, and that Matthew Savoie and David Tomasek make the roster next year with Max Jones as an extra forward and Noah Philp as the 4C on a two-year, $1.125 million AAV extension, that leaves them with three holes to fill on the wing with $15.89 million in cap space, according to <em>PuckPedia PuckGM </em>tool. For the sake of the argument, the Oilers bridge Bouchard with a two-year, $6 million AAV deal.

That leaves two spots on the third line wings to fill and $9.592 million in cap space to do so — and that's assuming none of the unrestricted free agents the club has get re-signed.

<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-173631" src="http://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/PuckGM-Roster-Card-Sat-Apr-19-2025-14_29_10-GMT-0600-Mountain-Daylight-Time.png" alt="" width="898" height="689" />

What gives me an inkling is the fact that they <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/edmonton-oilers-trade-extension-mikko-rantanen-rickard-rakell-ryan-donato">were in talks with the Carolina Hurricanes to acquire and sign Mikko Rantanen</a> to a long-term contract extension. He was eventually dealt to Dallas, inking an eight-year, $12 million AAV deal with the Stars. It also makes me wonder, given that, if the team does sign Bouchard to a bridge deal, even though that may not be the best move they could make.

Mitch Marner? Matt Duchene? Nikolaj Ehlers? Aaron Ekblad? Ivan Provorov?

Time will tell.

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<i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s associate editor, senior columnist, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QX_QCiZyIo&amp;list=PLRSWOpthKmdtmFOKQDd7TQdTU2KSKXYvX">DFO DFS Report</a>. He can be followed on Twitter, currently known as X, at</span></i> <em><a href="http://www.x.com/zjlaing"><span style="font-weight: 400;">@zjlaing</span></a></em><i><span style="font-weight: 400;"><em>,</em> or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.</span></i>

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