Fresh off a dominant scoring season in Finland, the former fifth-round pick returns to North America on a low-risk deal to bolster Edmonton’s offensive depth and versatility.
The Edmonton Oilers made a smaller depth move on Monday, signing forward Aku Räty to a one-year, two-way contract worth $850,000 in the NHL.
Räty spent last season back in Finland with Kärpät, and honestly, it was probably the best thing for him. After bouncing around a bit the last couple years, he finally looked comfortable again offensively.
The 24-year-old finished with 20 goals and 57 points in 51 games, which led Kärpät and had him near the top of the entire Liiga scoring race. Not bad for a player who felt a little forgotten about after leaving North America.
A lot of people will recognize the last name because of his younger brother Aatu with the Vancouver Canucks, but Aku has quietly built up some decent pro experience himself. Arizona originally drafted him in the fifth round back in 2019, and he later had a pretty solid rookie season in the AHL with Tucson, putting up 44 points in 2023-24.
Things got a bit messy after that, though. He changed organizations, struggled to really stick anywhere, and eventually made the decision to head back overseas for a reset year.
Now he’s getting another NHL opportunity because of it.
For the Oilers, there’s really no downside here. It’s a two-way deal, and Edmonton gets a winger who skates well and is coming off a productive season. Maybe nothing comes from it. That happens with these types of signings all the time.
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