Major free agent may be targeted by Edmonton Oilers with tons of salary cap space

The Oilers were heavily linked to acquiring Mikko Rantanen in trade at the deadline, and even offering him an eight year contract extension.

After pursuing one star forward, the Oilers won't want to give up on that goal. Looking at the very near future of the team, they currently only have 5 players signed to contracts longer than the next two full seasons, and this offseason they'll have $14.7M of cap space.

The biggest priorities for the Oilers will be retaining their own talents, beginning with Connor McDavid and Evan Bouchard. Both players will demand significant raises, but McDavid's maximum raise could only be $7M, and Bouchard's would be similar.

Another major boost for the Oilers to add a superstar player will be the rising salary cap. The cap is going to jump to $95.5M next season, and could be nearing $110M within a few more years.

This will give the Oilers the financial flexibility to re-sign their homegrown stars easily and then add another superstar forward.

Looking at free agent options this season, Mitch Marner is one player that stands out - Winnipeg Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers could be a cheaper option as well.

If the Oilers truly offered Mikko Rantanen a salary north of $12M in a trade deadline deal this season, they won't pivot to not adding at all to the forward group. The Oilers seem to have their eyes on a major splash in free agency to extend their cup window, and they'll have the salary cap and roster flexibility to make it happen.