Before camp starts, the Edmonton Oilers and Matt Savoie don’t necessarily need another well-known player. They require real answers.
Frederik Andersen, Mattias Janmark, and Alec Regula are all believed to be out of commission right now, and Savoie is also anticipated to be absent for some time.
The true question is which leftover free agent actually addresses an issue since Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl already provide the star power for this team.
Begin with scoring depth. Edmonton doesn’t require a 30-goal scorer, but rather someone who can consistently find the back of the net from the middle six.
Vladimir Tarasenko is the greatest candidate. In 75 games with Minnesota last year, he had 23 goals and 47 points, 18 of which came at even strength.
Before falling to 13 goals last season, Michael Bunting produced a different aesthetic, physical and irritating, and he scored at least 19 goals every year from 2021–22 through 2024–25.
Eeli Tolvanen, who is only 27, had 23 goals and 35 points in Seattle during the 2024-25 season and has had more than 30 points in four straight seasons.
Even more crucial may be the need for Edmonton’s penalty kill.
No one wants McDavid to play even more shorthanded minutes on top of 20 or more every night, and losing Savoie and Janmark removes two genuine penalty-killing choices.
Adam Henrique, a past Oiler, offers genuine penalty-killing expertise, even if his production fell from 27 points in 2024–2025 to only 15 points the previous season.
Curtis Lazar is a right-shot center who can kill penalties, providing reliable defensive value but less offense.
Despite recording only 10 points in 62 games, Luke Kunin, 28, also plays center and kills penalties, winning 49.4 percent of faceoffs.
Tyson Jost also contributes speed to the kill, having just concluded an eight-goal campaign. Jost was on the ice when Nashville conceded nine goals while playing with a man down and scoring four.
For this precise requirement, reliability over raw scoring, Kunin appears to be the greatest specific fit.
Jonathan Drouin makes genuine sense for a reclamation swing. He had 24 points between the Islanders and Blues during the 2023–24 season, which was tough, before posting 56 points playing alongside Nathan MacKinnon.
A established 20-goal scorer with defensive deficiencies that make him a difficult fit alongside an already exceptional power play, Patrik Laine continues to be the riskier choice.
It’s not necessary for Edmonton to pursue the biggest name out there. The celebrities it already has need the appropriate complementary pieces surrounding them.
