The Edmonton Oilers were busy making deals to bring in new players and to keep others on Day 1 of the NHL’s free agency period, with the most significant newcomer signings being forwards Viktor Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner.
Arvidsson was signed to a two-year contract on Monday.
The winger is well known to the Oilers, having spent the past three seasons with Pacific Division rivals the Los Angeles Kings, a team Edmonton has played in the past three-straight post-seasons.
In a news release, the Oilers said Arvidsson’s contract has an average annual value (AAV) of $4 million.
Arvidsson missed much of the 2023-24 regular season with an injury but produced an impressive 15 points in 18 games. Against the Oilers in the first round of the 2024 playoffs, the Swedish winger accumulated three points in five games.
“I’m 100 per cent,” Arvidsson told reporters on Monday after the signing was announced.
“I know people are concerned about that, but I’m the only guy who knows my body and I feel great and I feel confident. This is going to be a great year and I’m going to play a lot of games.”
In his time with the Kings, the 31-year-old scored 52 goals and had 123 points in 161 regular season games.
Arvidsson began his career with the Nashville Predators where he spent several seasons as a teammate of Oilers defenceman Mattias Ekholm.
“He probably didn’t want to play against me again,” Arvidsson joked, noting that Ekholm helped convince him to join. “I think that was a big part of it too.
“It’s going to be fun and exciting to have some snow again.”
Arvidsson also spoke about the Oilers being “built really well.”
Edmonton made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final in the 2023-24 season before losing in Game 7 to the Florida Panthers.
“I feel like they were really close this year and I hope I can help the team move even further,” Arvidsson said.
Oilers now have a 2nd Skinner on their roster
Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner will have a teammate next season who shares his last name as the Oilers signed veteran forward Jeff Skinner to a one-year contract with an AAV of $3 million.
Jeff Skinner, known for his goal-scoring abilities, has already played in 1,006 regular season games in his NHL career even though he is just 32 years old. In that time, he has scored 357 goals and put up 670 points.
The Ontario native was drafted seventh overall by the Carolina Hurricanes in 2010. He has spent the past six seasons with the Buffalo Sabres but became a free agent when that club bought out his contract this summer.
Oilers sign Josh Brown to 3-year deal
The Oilers also added a six-foot-five, 220-pound player to their defence on Monday, announcing the signing of blueliner Josh Brown.
Brown, who put up 10 points and 75 penalty minutes in 51 games with the Arizona Coyotes in 2023-24, signed a three-year contract with an AAV of $1 million.
The right-shot defenceman has also spent time with the Boston Bruins, Ottawa Senators and Florida Panthers since he began his NHL career in the 2018-19 season.
Since that time, the 30-year-old Ontario native has played in 290 career NHL regular season games, scoring 11 goals, chipping in 23 assists and collecting 296 penalty minutes.
Connor Carrick comes to Edmonton
The Oilers signed another 30-year-old defenceman on Monday, agreeing to terms with Connor Carrick on a one-year, two-way contract with an AAV of $775,000.
Carrick has played in 242 regular season games over the course of his NHL career. The five-foot-10, 198-pound blueliner has played with the Washington Capitals, Toronto Maple Leafs, Dallas Stars, New Jersey Devils and Boston Bruins.
Oilers add Delia to goalie depth chart
The Oilers also bolstered their goaltending depth on Monday, signing netminder Collin Delia to a one-year, two-way contract with an AAV of $775,000.
The 30-year-old native of California has played in a total of 52 NHL regular season games with the Vancouver Canucks and Chicago Blackhawks since 2017.
In that time he has accumulated a 19-18-7 record with a goals-against average of 3.51 and a .897 save percentage.
Henrique opts to stay in Alberta
Adam Henrique, a veteran centre who was acquired by the Oilers prior to last season’s trade deadline, agreed to a two-year deal to stay in Edmonton on Monday.
The 34-year-old, who showed he could play both offensive and defensive roles with the Oilers, signed a contract with an AAV of $3 million.
At a news conference following the end of the Oilers’ season last week, Henrique expressed a keen interest in staying with the team but said he was still discussing the possibility with his family.
“There’s a price for winning,” he said. “Being on a team like Edmonton that’s so close, and year after year now, the Stanley Cup is the goal … renews the passion in the game a bit.
“(But) I don’t think money is the No. 1 thing for me at this point in my career.
“To see how much the team means to the city and the fans was pretty special.”
Brown re-signs with Oilers
One of the Oilers’ key penalty killers who gained praise for his performance during the team’s 2024 Stanley Cup Final is staying in Edmonton.
The Oilers announced Monday that the club has re-signed winger Connor Brown to a one-year contract with an AAV of $1 million.
The 30-year-old signed as a free agent with the Oilers last summer. Coming off a major injury the season before, he played 71 games for the Oilers during the 2023-24 regular season, scoring four goals and chipping in with eight assists.
It was in the playoffs that Brown truly shined. He was on the ice for 19 playoff games and scored two goals with four assists for six points. He also led Edmonton with three shorthanded points.
The Ontario native has played with Toronto, Ottawa and Washington over the course of an NHL career that has seen him play 519 regular season games, scoring 94 goals and 134 assists.
Janmark inks 3-year extension
Versatile forward Mattias Janmark, who excelled on a line with Henrique and Brown during the Oilers’ 2024 playoff run, signed a three-year contract extension with the team on Monday with an AAV of $1.45 million.
The 31-year-old collected 12 points over 71 games with Edmonton in the regular season and ranked second among all Oilers forwards with 127:59 spent on the penalty kill.
Edmonton’s penalty killing units proved to be dominant in the playoffs.
Janmark has played in 557 regular season games over the course of his NHL career.
Perry extending lengthy NHL career
The Oilers also re-signed 39-year-old veteran forward Corey Perry to a one-year deal that carries an AAV of $1.4 million and includes bonus incentives.
Perry joined the Oilers in the middle of the 2023-24 season, signing a contract with Edmonton in January.
In 38 regular season games with the Oilers, he scored eight goals and put up five assists.
Perry, who won a Stanley Cup as a member of the Anaheim Ducks in 2007, has been on multiple teams that have made it to the Stanley Cup Final.
During the Oilers’ 2024 playoff run, he played in 19 games, scoring one goal and being credited with two assists. The goal he scored ended up being the game-winning goal in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Over the course of his NHL career, Perry has played in 1,311 regular season games, scoring 429 goals and racking up 905 points. He has also played in 215 playoff games during his NHL career.
Before joining the Oilers, Perry had spent time playing for the Chicago Blackhawks, Tampa Bay Lightning, Montreal Canadiens, Dallas Stars and Anaheim.
Stecher signs 2-year deal
Defenceman Troy Stecher is returning to Edmonton after signing a two-year contract Monday with an AAV of $787,500.
The 30-year-old B.C. native was first acquired by the Oilers before the trade deadline from the Coyotes and played seven regular season games for Edmonton, chipping in a pair of assists.
In 494 career NHL regular season games, he has scored 19 goals and put up 110 points.
Hamblin signs 2-year deal
The club signed James Hamblin to a two-year, two-way contract with an AAV of $775,000 at the NHL level.
The 25-year-old, who hails from Alberta’s capital, split the 2023-24 season between the Oilers and the Bakersfield Condors, Edmonton’s American Hockey League affiliate.
With the Oilers, Hamblin played in 31 regular season games in 2023-24, in which he scored the first two goals of his NHL career.
In his career, he has played 41 regular season games with the Oilers.
Hoefenmayer agrees to 1-year contract
Noel Hoefenmayer, a 25-year-old defenceman who was originally a fourth-round draft pick for the Arizona Coyotes in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, agreed to a one-year, two-way contract with an AAV of $775,000 at the NHL level.
He spent last season in Bakersfield.
Former Golden Bear re-signs with Oilers
Noah Philp, a 25-year-old forward whose resume includes having spent 2019 to 2022 with the University of Alberta Golden Bears, signed a one-year, two-way contract with an AAV of $775,000 at the NHL level.
Before joining the Oilers organization, Philp spent four seasons of his hockey career playing with the Kootenay Ice and Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League.
Qualifying offers tendered
On Sunday, the Oilers announced the club had tendered qualifying offers to restricted free agents Dylan Holloway, Philip Broberg and Raphael Lavoie.
Over the weekend, the club also announced it had placed goaltender Jack Campbell on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a contract buyout.
Two years ago, Campbell signed a five-year, US$25-million contract. Last season, he lost his starting goaltender role with the Oilers to Stuart Skinner and was demoted to the AHL.
On Monday, Campbell signed a contract with the Detroit Red Wings.
A number of other players who played for the Oilers in 2023-24 signed with other teams as well on Monday: Warren Foegele signed with the Los Angeles Kings, Sam Carrick signed with the New York Rangers and Vincent Desharnais signed with the Vancouver Canucks.
–With files from The Canadian Press