Jun 27: Team media release: The Edmonton Oilers and Ken Holland have mutually agreed that his contract will not be extended beyond the end of its current term. No exit interview or media avail with the departing GM, though his legacy remains.
Jun 28: Caretaker GM Jeff Jackson takes charge. After signing an extension with backup netminder Cal Pickard as his first official transaction, earlier in the day, Jackson makes a splash in the Sphere, trading up a year (or potentially two) to land a first-round draft pick, albeit the 32nd and last. He and new scouting director Rick Pracey select London Knights centre Sam O’Reilly. “We gotta start getting our pipeline going” says Jackson in what might be interpreted as a swipe at the depleted prospect system he inherited.
Jun 29: Oilers make 6 more draft picks, though 5 of them are in the bottom third of the Draft. Still, the club’s busiest draft haul since 2017.
Jun 30: The club tweets: “The #Oilers have placed goaltender Jack Campbell on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a buyout.” A monumental decision with 6 years worth of implications, the first one being nearly $4 million in cap savings in the upcoming season. Qualifying offers issued to 5 young players, 2 others cut loose
- Viktor Arvidsson, Jeff Skinner, Josh Brown signed from other NHL teams along with several depth veterans
- Adam Henrique, Mattias Janmark, Connor Brown, Corey Perry, Troy Stecher all signed to last-minute extensions
- Noah Philp officially ends retirement, signs contract
- Warren Foegele, Vincent Desharnais sign with Pacific Division rivals
- Jack Campbell officially bought out, signs with Detroit
Aug 13: Three weeks of radio silence following the Bowman hire is shattered by a breaker, as St. Louis Blues announce they have signed offer sheets with Edmonton’s top two young players. Both Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway received qualifying offers from the Oilers in June but negotiations were going nowhere until the Blues swooped in with a precision strike. Just like that, the Oilers had 7 days to match, or not.
- replaced its youngest defenceman and youngest forward with youngsters of similar age
- acquired 3 draft picks and given up 2
- acquired a prospect
- traded away sturdy defender Ceci
- perhaps most importantly, found a way to become cap-compliant through the net reduction of about $8 million in salary cap for the coming season. Not entirely satisfactory to say the least given what projects as a downgrade in talent, but at least a consistent logic to it and a cap-compliant team at the end of it.
Sep 03: “Draisaitl is an Oiler for life”. Oilers sign their man Leon to NHL’s top contract, lock him up until 2033. No movement involved, but perhaps the biggest transaction of the entire summer. One of hockey’s finest and most charismatic players appears set to play out his entire professional career in Good Old Ourtown.
Since then, things have quieted to a dull roar, just the usual patter of PTOs and rookie camp and team personnel announcements that are part of the build-up to any hockey season.
But how about that summer that preceded it? By my accounting, 5 impactful trades, 2 players lost to offer sheets, 1 buyout, a minor splash at the Draft, a major one in free agency, a massive contract extension of a core superstar, 2 changes at the GM position, plenty of controversy and more headlines than any other team in the game.
Oh yeah, let’s not forget a couple of other key life events of the type not covered here at the Cult of Hockey: the wedding of Connor McDavid (to Lauren Kyle) and the engagement of his best friend Leon Draisaitl (to Celeste Desjardins). Edmonton’s two major stars seem happy in life and willing to make long-term commitments of more than one type, additional positive arrows in this hockey-mad town.
Looking back, Oilers Summer was brief but extraordinarily action-packed. Time to start playing hockey games again so we in Oil Country can all catch our breath.
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