Edmonton Oilers still need to sign 4 more important players aside from McDavid

Though Edmonton has a total of 13 players whose contracts are set to expire July 1, 2026, it is 4 that are an integral part of the Oilers' future.

After Connor, Mattias Ekholm is perhaps the next priority signing, given his importance to the blue line since being acquired in 2023. He excels in every role of his position and paired with Evan Bouchard, forms the team's top D-pairing.

The main concern with Mattias, of course, is his age (35) and the length of the projected term of his extension. His 2025-26 cap hit is $6.25M, though it is questionable whether his next deal will be more than that.

Jake Walman is 29 years old and has a cap hit of $3.4M next next season, which could reach as much as $6M on his next deal. Walman is a legitimate top-4 defenseman, a could easily play 1D minutes.

Stuart Skinner's contract extension will be a tricky negotiation, given his recent inconsistency in net. His negotiation could go any number of ways, from a 3 year extension, to the team letting him become a free agent next summer.

Skinner's next deal will depend entirely on his play in 2025-26 and how far he can take his team in the playoffs.

Vasily Podkolzin is 24 years old and will have a $1M cap hit next year: he will definitely get a raise on his next deal, perhaps as much as $3M AAV.

In his first year with the Oilers last season, Vasily proved to be a valuable addition to the top-6 forward lineup, bringing much-needed goal scoring depth and a great work ethic as a two-way player.

Should Vasily improve on last year's production and quality of play, he could become a top-6 forward fixture.