2026-27<\/p>\n
Upper Limit: $104MM It should be noted that Edmonton has a lot of injuries heading into training camp, affecting their projections.\u00a0 As players return, their cap space should go up considerably.<\/p>\n Expiring Contracts (RFA): G Devon Levi<\/a> ($812,500), F Josh Samanski<\/a> ($975K + $975K in \u2018A\u2019 bonuses), F Matthew Savoie<\/a> ($886,666 + $1MM in \u2018A\u2019 bonuses)<\/p>\n Savoie\u2019s first full season with the Oilers was solid as he picked up 37 points and hit one of his four bonuses.\u00a0 Unfortunately, he\u2019ll miss time to start the season which will make reaching those bonuses that much harder.\u00a0 If he remains a top-six forward upon returning, he\u2019s someone Edmonton should want to sign long-term.\u00a0 However, given their cap situation, a bridge contract in the $4MM range may be more realistic.\u00a0 Samanski is a candidate to benefit from the early injuries after getting his feet wet in the NHL last season.\u00a0 He shouldn\u2019t hit his bonuses while if he can lock down a full-time fourth-line spot, he could jump near $1.5MM on a short-term pact.\u00a0 Otherwise, he\u2019ll be looking at something closer to the minimum salary.<\/p>\n Blocked on Buffalo\u2019s depth chart, Levi has a chance to battle for a full-time roster spot and will benefit from the early injuries as well.\u00a0 At this point, the goal has to be securing a regular backup spot as doing so could push him toward a $3MM price tag on another short-term pact.\u00a0 If he winds up as a third option though, he could still land a small raise toward the $1.5MM mark.<\/p>\n Expiring Contracts (UFA): G Frederik Andersen<\/a> ($1MM + $1.8MM in performance bonuses), D Ty Emberson<\/a> ($1.3MM), F Alex Formenton<\/a> ($850K), F Mattias Janmark<\/a> ($1.45MM), F Mathieu Joseph<\/a> ($1MM), F Kasperi Kapanen<\/a> ($2.6MM), D Spencer Stastney<\/a> ($1.525MM)<\/p>\n Kapanen inked this contract on the opening day of free agency to remain in Edmonton.\u00a0 When healthy, he\u2019s a capable and versatile middle-six forward.\u00a0 But with his injury history, it\u2019s hard to see him commanding long-term deals moving forward; instead, short-term pacts around this price tag make more sense.\u00a0 Janmark has scored some important goals for Edmonton over the years but is coming off a year to forget while also dealing with injuries.\u00a0 At this point, he\u2019d be hard-pressed to match this money on his next contract and could be a PTO candidate next summer.<\/p>\n Joseph terminated his deal in St. Louis after clearing waivers last season to ensure he stayed in the NHL, moving to the Kings where he had a limited role.\u00a0 He\u2019s likely to have a similarly limited one in Edmonton which should keep him around this price point.\u00a0 Formenton hasn\u2019t played in the NHL since 2022 and hasn\u2019t been productive lately in Switzerland but he\u2019ll get a chance to secure a depth role.\u00a0 It\u2019s hard to see him commanding much more than the minimum salary even if he\u2019s able to lock down a spot, however.<\/p>\n Stastney was in the lineup more than he wasn\u2019t for the first time last season, getting into 66 games which helped him earn this raise.\u00a0 Still, he\u2019s likely be a sixth or seventh option in 2026-27, meaning there isn\u2019t much runway for this price tag to go up.\u00a0 Emberson has been a third-pairing defender for the last two seasons and is a coveted right-shot option.\u00a0 That should give him a chance to approach the $2MM mark on a short-term deal for his next contract.<\/p>\n Andersen left Carolina this summer and came to the Oilers with a chance to secure the starting job.\u00a0 And then he got hurt in offseason training.\u00a0 At this point, he might just be a 25-30-game player and really, that\u2019s about what they\u2019re paying him to be.\u00a0 He\u2019ll reach $1MM of his incentives at 20 games played while the rest are playoff-dependent.\u00a0 At his age and with his injury history, he\u2019s a safe bet to be going year-to-year on contracts like this down the road.<\/p>\n 2027-28<\/p>\n Projected Upper Limit: $113.5MM There aren\u2019t many big-ticket expiring contracts for GM Stan Bowman to contend with beyond maybe Savoie\u2019s.\u00a0 There will be wiggle room to add a core piece to the group next summer as a result.<\/p>\n Expiring Contracts (RFA): F Colton Dach<\/a> ($1.2MM), F Isaac Howard<\/a> ($972,500 + $1MM in \u2018A\u2019 bonuses), D Shakir Mukhamadullin<\/a> ($1.75MM)<\/p>\n Dach was acquired near the trade deadline to give Edmonton a bit more grit in their bottom six.\u00a0 He hasn\u2019t shown a ton of offensive upside so far but we\u2019ve seen 20-point players with a lot of hits get big raises.\u00a0 If he can get there, he could jump past $3MM on his next deal.\u00a0 At that point, Edmonton might have to question if they can afford that price for that role.\u00a0 Howard didn\u2019t get much of a look in his rookie year and doesn\u2019t appear to have a path to a top-six slot, making it unlikely he hits his bonuses.\u00a0 If he\u2019s established as a full-timer by the end of this deal though, he could land a bridge deal in the $2MM range.<\/p>\n Mukhamadullin came over in the Darnell Nurse<\/a> trade this summer and will be looking to establish himself as a full-timer in the lineup.\u00a0 If he can do that, arbitration rights could push the price tag past $3MM on his next deal, unless that\u2019s deemed too pricey for the role knowing their UFA class.<\/p>\n Expiring Contracts (UFA): F Zach Hyman<\/a> ($5.5MM), G Tristan Jarry<\/a> ($5.35MM), F Connor McDavid<\/a> ($12.5MM)<\/p>\n Hyman was a terrific addition back in 2021, giving McDavid a strong complementary linemate.\u00a0 That\u2019s probably underselling it quite a bit, too, considering that he\u2019s scored at least 27 goals per year in an Edmonton uniform.\u00a0 He\u2019ll be 36 when his next contract starts so it won\u2019t be a long-term pact but a multi-year agreement is still likely.\u00a0 If he\u2019s still even a second liner at that point, he should be eyeing a multi-million-dollar raise of his own.<\/p>\n Jarry had good and bad moments in Pittsburgh, the former helping him secure this deal.\u00a0 The latter got him moved to Edmonton where the bad outweighed the good last season.\u00a0 At this point, he\u2019s more of a mid-tier option at best and unless he turns things around the next couple of years, he\u2019ll be looking at a notable cut in salary.<\/p>\n 2028-29<\/p>\n Forecasted Upper Limit: $123MM Obviously, the UFA class looms large as McDavid and Hyman are likely to cost significantly more than their current price tags.\u00a0 Combined, they could take up half of the cap space number shown here, before factoring in RFAs and the 2027 free agent class.<\/p>\n Expiring Contracts (RFA): None<\/p>\n Expiring Contracts (UFA): D Evan Bouchard<\/a> ($10.5MM), D Mattias Ekholm<\/a> ($4MM), F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins<\/a> ($5.125MM), F Vasily Podkolzin<\/a> ($2.95MM)<\/p>\n Nugent-Hopkins has been a top-six fixture in Edmonton for a decade and a half but he is starting to slow down.\u00a0 By the time his deal ends, he\u2019ll be 36 and might be in more of a supporting role.\u00a0 That could keep the price tag around where it is now, even in an inflationary market.\u00a0 Podkolzin had a breakout showing in his second year with the Oilers, providing lower-end second-line production and plenty of physicality.\u00a0 If the output isn\u2019t a one-off and can be maintained, he\u2019ll be in line to more than double this price tag on his next deal.\u00a0 If the production tapers off, then his next AAV could land more in the $4.5MM range.<\/p>\n Bouchard\u2019s decision to sign for four years looks like a wise one now, given where the market has gone.\u00a0 If he\u2019s still an elite offensive performer, he\u2019ll hit the open market entering his age-30 year with a chance to more than double this price point.\u00a0 It\u2019s not just a massive number for McDavid that the Oilers will need to be concerned about; the jump for Bouchard will be even bigger.\u00a0 Ekholm begins this new deal at 36 and is still a top-four blueliner.\u00a0 That will probably change by the end of it but they should still get good value on this contract.\u00a0 If he signs another contract, it will likely be a one-year pact and knowing what\u2019s coming with Bouchard, it wouldn\u2019t be surprising if Edmonton pushed for a bonus-laden structure.<\/p>\n 2029-30<\/p>\n Forecasted Upper Limit: $133.5MM (8.5% increase) It\u2019s fair to say that the projected cap increase will be heading to Bouchard.\u00a0 That will make keeping the other free agents considerably tougher to keep around.\u00a0 One or two might be doable but all three probably won\u2019t work.<\/p>\n Expiring Contracts (RFA): None<\/p>\n Expiring Contracts (UFA): None<\/p>\n Signed For 2030-31 And Beyond<\/p>\n For that season, there will be a new CBA in place so trying to forecast the cap and cap space basically becomes a guessing game.\u00a0 Accordingly, we\u2019ll go back to the old Deep Dive format for players signed beyond the 2030-31 campaign.<\/p>\n F Jason Dickinson<\/a> ($4MM through 2030-31) Draisaitl made some headlines when he signed this deal, one that briefly was the richest in league history while also moving him ahead of McDavid cost-wise.\u00a0 Of course, it\u2019s also looking like a team-friendly pact already with how the market has exploded.\u00a0 He\u2019s a legitimate number one center and should be for several more years before age starts to become a concern.\u00a0 He\u2019ll be entering his age-38 year on his next contract and at that point, his production and ice time should be dipping, as should his price tag at that time.<\/p>\n Dickinson signed this deal this summer to bypass the open market.\u00a0 It\u2019s on the pricey side if he\u2019s a fourth liner but if he can lock down the third line center spot for the next few years, it should be a reasonable deal for Edmonton.\u00a0 He\u2019ll be 36 when this contract is up and by then, his role and price should be a bit more limited.\u00a0 Frederic\u2019s contract was a head-scratcher when it was signed last year and it looks worse now after a rough year.\u00a0 Yes, the market for physical forwards has gone up but not quite to this extent yet.\u00a0 If he can get back to even approaching 25 points, the deal would look better. However, he has a long way to go to get there.<\/p>\n Walman signed an early extension back in October with the expectation that he\u2019d pick up where he left off after being acquired at the trade deadline.\u00a0 That didn\u2019t happen.\u00a0 Instead, he was more of a fourth or fifth option and this price tag for that role is on the high side.\u00a0 But if he can get back to being a second or third defender, they can still do well with this contract.\u00a0 He\u2019ll be 37 when this deal is up and likely in a reduced role by then.<\/p>\n That\u2019s where Murphy now finds himself.\u00a0 He fit in well down the stretch after being acquired, earning this deal through his age-38 season.\u00a0 He\u2019s already more of an ideal third-pairing option but a capable defensive right-shot defender is always going to have plenty of suitors; he likely left money on the table by extending early.\u00a0 By the time this deal is up, he will likely be much more limited in his role.\u00a0 Shea had a breakout year in Pittsburgh at the age of 29 last season.\u00a0 If he maintains that level in Edmonton, this will be a huge steal.\u00a0 But if he reverts to being more of a depth defender as he was before 2025-26, then this could be a problematic pact.\u00a0 The safer bet is that he can at least hold down a regular spot on the third pairing and provide some value on this deal.\u00a0 He\u2019s young enough that if he\u2019s a top-four piece at the end of the agreement, he could be in line for another big raise.<\/p>\n Outlook<\/p>\n Edmonton\u2019s short-term cap outlook is reasonable.\u00a0 When some players return from injuries, they should be able to bank some space for in-season moves.\u00a0 Next summer will see them have even more wiggle room but it might have to be used on short-term pacts with McDavid, Hyman, and Bouchard heading toward significant raises in the not-too-distant future.<\/p>\n Photo courtesy of Perry Nelson-Imagn Images.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Navigating the salary cap is one of the most important tasks for a front office.\u00a0 Teams that can…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":902036,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194294],"tags":[49,48,23752,453],"class_list":["post-902035","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-edmonton","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-edmonton","tag-edmonton-oilers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/902035","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=902035"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/902035\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/902036"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=902035"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=902035"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=902035"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Current Cap Charge: $102,921,666
Cap Space: $1,078,334
Potential Bonuses: $4.525MM (a little over $1MM could be reached)
Dead Cap: $2.85MM (buyout for Jack Campbell<\/a> \u2013 $2.6MM, $250K bonus overage)<\/p>\n
Current Cap Charge: $88,322,500 (16 players signed)
Cap Space: $25,177,500
Potential Bonuses: $1MM (most unlikely to be reached)
Dead Cap: $1.5MM (Campbell buyout)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/USATSI_27165492-200x300.jpg\")
<\/a>It was said at the time that McDavid signed his new two-year deal that he left money on the table to give Edmonton a shot at building a better group around him.\u00a0 Seeing where salaries went this summer for top-end talent, saying he left money on the table is an understatement.\u00a0 McDavid\u2019s next contract will start at age 31 and he would be able to command a max-term contract worth the maximum salary (projected at $22.7MM, 20% of the Upper Limit if he signed next summer, higher if he waited a year and tested the market).\u00a0 But is that the type of contract he\u2019ll want to sign?\u00a0 It\u2019s entirely possible that he takes less than that to give his team a better chance to win.\u00a0 It\u2019s also possible he inks another short-term pact to keep his options open.\u00a0 Regardless of which route he takes, he can call his shot on what he wants his salary to be.<\/p>\n
Current Cap Charge: $61.025MM (10 players signed)
Cap Space: $61.925MM
Potential Bonuses: None
Dead Cap: $1.5MM (Campbell buyout)<\/p>\n
Current Cap Charge: $38.45MM (6 players signed)
Cap Space: $95.05MM
Potential Bonuses: None
Dead Cap: $1.5MM (Campbell buyout-final year)<\/p>\n
F Leon Draisaitl<\/a> ($14MM through 2032-33)
F Trent Frederic<\/a> ($3.85MM through 2032-33)
D Connor Murphy<\/a> ($4.1MM through 2030-31)
D Ryan Shea<\/a> ($4MM through 2030-31)
D Jake Walman<\/a> ($7MM through 2032-33)<\/p>\n