Salary cap restriction impedes Oilers' ability to improve roster

The Oilers' annual cap hit is at $95,274,166, which includes all the transactions made to date, completing the active roster of 23 players.

Most teams will argue that their top-producing forwards account for a large portion of the cap. This is certainly true for the Oilers. Leon Draisaitl has the largest cap hit at $14M; Connor McDavid $12.5M; Zach Hyman $5.5M; and RNH $5.13.

In total, the total cap hit of these core-players is quite reasonable as a whole. The problem is the total forwards' cap compared to the entire cap. The Oilers are spending 57.7% of the team cap on forwards,or $55,136,166, above the league average.

The defense totals are also somewhat problematic, with three defensemen accounting for 76% of the total defense portion of the team cap of $33,987,500, or 35.6% of the whole.

With Evan Bouchard earning $10.5M, Darnel Nurse, $9.5, and Mattias Ekholm $6M, their total of $26M restricts Oilers management from making further additions to the roster.

The total goalie cap hit is $3.6M. The final cap-component is Jack Campbell's buyout, a hit of $2.55M.

The Oilers are now faced with potential problems in 2025-26, where the roster is concerned. Any additions to the team would require a corresponding subtraction, or perform cap-maneuvering that most general managers prefer to avoid, like LTIR, or contract buyouts, which would reduce the team's total cap hit.

Yet, it is a modern NHL-reality that most teams face, but more so teams like the Oilers, whose stars command higher salaries, and therefore a higher AAV. So far, Stan Bowman had been able to manage his team's roster without having to perform cap-gymnastics.

Moving forward, however, the GM may not be so fortunate, as what might unfold during a lengthy NHL season is unpredictable.