Roster's OK except I don't like you've got Benson and Starrett up. Also it feels like Khaira is overpaid a bit here. I think he should get a 2 year contract under 1M. Only scored 3 goals all year.

But yes, overall point is we've got cap space and can fill the holes with serviceable players

I agree they aren't in cap hell but its quite arguable that minus some of the players you didn't resign, this team is worse than the already terrible team they had....

Let's assume they sign a nice free agent player like Dzingel. Easily 5M, right? So now you swap Dzingel with Chiasson and are they a playoff team? I don't think so.......

There is no quick fix in Edmonton and that's the problem. They add quality free agents? They'd get into cap hell. They trade for some quality players without touching their main core players? They end up in cap hell. They trade a core player to get better in another position, its a lateral move.

So technically speaking, your right they aren't in cap hell but in order to be truly competitive for a playoff spot by improving their roster enough to make a substantial difference, I think they'd END up being in cap hell as a result... The better term for them would be cap restrictive. The cap space they do have, they have to make it really count because it will put them into a little bit of cap hardship.

Take that up with Evolving Wild please.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15E1qqh3OfHvvhbv_pICfKT7VR1jJEVhWQOyKviWLN54/edit#gid=707766415

Not at all. Next summer they have 7 contracts ending: Gagner, Kassian, Brodziak, Cave, Nurse, Benning and Manning, plus Gryba's buyout is off the books. That's $13.5M + the cap increase (say $3M), and only Nurse needs to be re-signed. Benning will be replaced by a prospect on an ELC, while being traded for an asset of similar value. I disagree that spending the $7.5M this summer will put them into cap hell for this reason.

The summer after that, Nugent-Hopkins, Sekera, Larsson and Russell come off the books as well as the Pouliot buyout for a total of $21M + cap increase - only 2 of whom will be re-signed. Again, room to wheel here.

Anyhow, I can only imagine that the incoming GM will make some moves to improve the team this summer, this mock was meant to be a worst-case scenario giving the team the fewest dollars to spend. And there are many ways to improve the team and still save money: one scenario posted here was to trade RNH for AA which saves $3M and gives the Oilers room to sign Duchene + another piece. A new GM might decide to buyout Sekera ($3M savings) and Gagner ($2.1M), now you have $12.6M and 4 holes to fill. Caleb Jones could easily play 3rd pairing for $720K, leaving just under $12M for 3 players.

There are lots of scenarios that would work to improve the team that don't place the team in cap hell, due to expiring contracts.

OK but just saying players contracts are ending isn't enough. You have to replace those players with quality players also, removing the cap space your talking about. Then the fact that you have to account for guys like Puljujarvi, maybe Benson and others, overachieving. Most teams always have one guy come out of nowhere and get more than they expect.

Like I said, this team is not good enough to make the playoffs as is. So if you use that 7.5M (actually less due to having more players on the roster and cap flexibility), are they now a playoff team? In two years from now when all those contracts end, they'll need to replace all those players with quality players to take a step forward right? Can't just assume all the ELC's do.

Like I said, they aren't in cap hell. IMO if they take a season to develop some young players, let some contracts die out and possibly trade some others that have term, they'll have oodles of cap space so I'm on board. But that cap space need's to be replaced with better quality than they already had previously or else, there isn't much of an upgrade.

The idea of them doing a Lucic+1st isn't a "smart" long term solution. Its a "right now, let's open up 10+ mil of cap and sign, Karlsson, Duchene, Dzingel" type solution. Kind of like catering to McDavid to ensure he doesn't get fed up with losing. (Even though I personally don't think he will. Not until his contract ends at least but during his contract, he won't ask for a trade. IMO)

There are prospects on the way to replace most of these guys. I mean, Gagner, Kassian, Brodziak and Cave are all (most of the time) bottom-6 guys, not very difficult to replace them with better players for less IMO. Benning could be replaced this summer with a prospect, by next summer for sure he won't be able to hold those guys back. Manning is already in the AHL and doesn't need to be replaced.

The following summer Sekera (3LD) and Russell (2RD) need to be replaced, and again, the internal replacements are already in the AHL and will be ready to step up much sooner than fall 2021 - in fact, two prospects (Lagesson and Jones) are ready for the full-time 3LD spot now. Sekera could be moved this summer and we wouldn't miss him much. Two years from now? No problem at all.

If a prospect pops, there's more than enough room to sign him to a larger extension. If JP or Benson are off the charts in two years, there's over $20M available and the core players locked up long term.


I don't think this type of move is a good idea. The 1st will be a good player and also exempt from the expansion draft. Karlsson doesn't move the needle enough for me considering his expected contract and the inevitable age-related decline. Dzingel overachieved this year but at 27 I don't think this is the new norm so I wouldn't pay him the rumored $5+M ask either. I would consider Duchene however, depending on the cost. However, as I demonstrated above, there are several ways to clear the cap space for signing Duchene without trading the 1st.