Despite making several roster moves on July 1, the Edmonton Oilers are not done bringing in new players. As free agency opened up, general manager Stan Bowman brought in Frederik Andersen, Kasperi Kapanen, Mathieu Joseph, and Ryan Shea. Edmonton also landed Devon Levi via a trade with the Buffalo Sabres.
While the new additions are welcome, there is still business to be done. The Athletic’s Allan Mitchell recently provided an updated Oilers depth chart with the recent acquisitions included. Edmonton’s defense and goalie situations are seemingly set now. Nevertheless, the Oilers offense could use more reliable scoring. Because of this, Bleacher Report’s Erik Beaston is predicting that Edmonton will sign free agent Vladimir Tarasenko in the near future.
The veteran has racked up 327 goals and 382 assists during his impressive NHL career. Although he is 34 now, the winger has proven that he has gas left in the tank. Tarasenko recorded 47 points in 75 games with the Minnesota Wild this past season. This was a significant jump compared to his down year with the Detroit Red Wings the year before.
As Beaston points out, the Edmonton Oilers are still in need of middle-six help on offense. Superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl obviously lead Edmonton, but they could use some support down the depth chart. Looking at Mitchell’s updated roster, Tarasenko could be deployed on the third line with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jason Dickinson.
Edmonton Oilers Can Replace Outgoing Forward With Vladimir Tarasenko
GettyFormer Wild star Vladimir Tarasenko would bring secondary scoring to the Edmonton Oilers.
This is not the first time Tarasenko has been linked to the Edmonton Oilers. Ryley Delaney of Oilers Nation also recently urged Bowman to target the veteran winger. Delaney specifically pointed to Tarasenko as a potential replacement for Jack Roslovic. The fellow forward has since signed on with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Roslovic was criticized during his lone season with the Oilers for underperforming during the recent playoffs (one point in six games). Tarasenko, on the other hand, has proven to be a postseason performer and has collected two Stanley Cup trophies during his career. He most recently had five points in 11 playoff games with the Wild.
The Athletic’s Chris Johnston previously ranked Tarasenko as the 30th-best NHL unrestricted free agent this summer. Johnston predicts that the veteran will earn a new deal in the neighborhood of one year, $3.3 million. If this proves to be correct, the Oilers can afford to bring him to Edmonton. According to Puckpedia.com, the club has just over $7 million in projected cap space.
Insider Suggests Edmonton Will Make More Moves
These extra funds, partially created by offloading defenseman Darnell Nurse, will likely be used up at some point by the Edmonton Oilers. In fact, Mitchell ended his aforementioned article by pointing to the team’s cap room. According to the reporter, “there is more to come” from Bowman and the Oilers.
Edmonton should be in win-now mode considering McDavid is entering his final two years under contract. The underrated move for recent Cup champion Freddie Andersen helps solidify Edmonton’s biggest positional offseason need. Potentially adding a player such as Tarasenko would give McDavid some much-needed offensive help heading toward the 2026-27 season.
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