Edmonton Oilers reportedly working to clear space for major additions
Photo credit: Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports
It was reported by Oilers insider Bob Stauffer that the Edmonton Oilers are preparing to clear cap space to make major additions to the team by July 1st.
The Oilers over the last two weeks have been evaluating their team after having exit interviews and locker clean out and have identified several areas that need to be addressed.
Edmonton's already traded Evander Kane now, but will still need more space to sign Evan Bouchard and more players - so more trades are coming.
Stauffer thinks Bowman may have different style to improve team
Stauffer feels that Oilers general manager Stan Bowman may take a different approach on clearing cap space for the Oilers as the team currently has roughly $11.9 million in cap space to work with.
The team is faced with several key decisions including defenseman Evan Bouchard who is completing his two-year bridge contract and is looking for a long-term deal north of $9 million per season.
The Oilers also must subtract some players and change the configuration of their bottom 6 forwards as this has been identified by Bowman as an area of concern.
Stauffer did not identify how the Oilers will approach this puzzle as the team has been quiet since Bowman's press conference.
Goaltending likely will be front and center of discussion
The area that is hurting the Oilers and their chances to winning the Stanley Cup is their current tandem in net.
Several pundits around the NHL have felt that the Oilers goaltending tandem's value is too low when it comes to salary and the team needs to address this by acquiring a more bonafide starter who will help them win consistently especially in the playoffs.
Both Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard are both under contract for next season and currently hold the cap hit combined of $3.6 million.
It's likely the Oilers will need to make a major deal through trade to acquire their goaltender as the unrestricted free agent market in goaltending is razor thin with little or no options that make sense.
If a goaltender were to be acquired, it's likely to be at the earliest in the NHL draft which is set to begin on Friday June 27th. Unrestricted free agency will begin on July 1st and it's expected the Oilers to be busy over the next few months.
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JUIN 25 | 1186 ANSWERS Edmonton Oilers reportedly working to clear space for major additions Do you think the Oilers will make a major trade to land a new number one goalie? | ||
| Yes | 961 | 81 % |
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