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Former Oilers prospect signs contract after refusing to stay in Edmonton
Photo credit: Edmonton Oilers Raw
Former Oilers prospect Shane LaChance has finalized his entry level contract with the New Jersey Devils after being involved in the deal to acquire Trent Frederic.
LaChance was a 6th round draft pick of the Oilers in 2021, and developed nicely with Boston University. Oilers prospect experts called him a guaranteed NHL player.
Shane LaChance signs with New Jersey after refusing deal with Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers traded LaChance to the New Jersey Devils for retaining $575K of Trent Frederic's salary. On its own, it looks like a bad deal for the Oilers, but LaChance refused to sign with Edmonton - and his father works in the Devils organization.
Lachance could be an impressive NHL player with his size and goal scoring ability, and the trade for retention on Frederic may not work out great if he doesn't play this regular season - but the Oilers won't be missing LaChance too badly.
Oilers won't miss LaChance after adding tons of new free agents
In years past the Oilers have been caught sleeping with College and European free agents, this season the team has been incredibly aggressive, locking up several players as well as some internal prospects.
The Oilers have a weaker prospect pool from years contending for Stanley Cups, and need to utilize these signings to continue to add young talent to the organization.
For years, it seemed like some of these prospects just refused to join Edmonton. Whether it's the new winning culture, or Bowman's management, this change of strategy is helping the Oilers big time.
Not all of these signings will be hits and become quality NHL players, but adding more bullets in the chamber gives a better chance of one popping off.
Hopefully, the Oilers found a hidden gem with one of their recent free agent signings, and they can begin to make an immediate NHL impact next year.
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 13 | 609 ANSWERS Former Oilers prospect signs contract after refusing to stay in Edmonton Do you think the Oilers will have found a hit with their recent free agent signing? | ||
| Yes | 463 | 76 % |
| No | 146 | 24 % |
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