Grading Every Forward's Contract On The Oilers This Season

Over the next three days, I'll take a look at the contracts on the roster of the Edmonton Oilers. Starting with the forwards, the idea is to look at the 14 names listed on the active roster (as per PuckPedia) and give a grade to that deal. 

The exercise seemed fruitful given the way salaries have ballooned this summer. It's changed the way teams might see the deals that were signed prior to the likes of Leo Carlsson signing for $18 million, Connor Bedard for $15, and Macklin Celebrini for $18.8... or Ville Koivunen for $4 million. 

To make things simple, we'll go in order from most expensive to least:

Leon Draisaitl was already on a sweetheart deal when he signed an eight-year extension in September of 2024. For about two seconds, fans thought his first deal at $8.5 million per season was a reach. He quickly proved it was a bargain. He's done so again, and the deal keeps looking better and better with each new contract that gets signed. 

Draisaitl is a top-five player in the NHL, if not better. He's earning every single penny on this contract, and at the age of 30, he's got several prime seasons left. He's scored 100-plus points in six of his last eight seasons. The only reason he didn't in the other two was that he missed 17 games due to injury in 2025-26, and the 2020-21 season was shortened to 56 games because of a pandemic.

For about one second, I considered giving this an A grade, but that's only because the deal is two years and not the full eight like Draisaitl's. However, no matter how you frame it, Connor McDavid is still the best player in the world on a deal far lower than he should be paid. 

If there's a player who should be earning the max allowed under the CBA, it's McDavid. Instead, he chose to sign a deal that let the Oilers add pieces around him so they could compete. Whether they've done so is an article for another day. 

Another incredible bargain; you could argue Zach Hyman was the best free-agent signing in Oilers franchise history. It might be one of the better UFA deals of this generation. He's done nothing but outplay that deal, and when healthy, he's a near lock for 40-50 goals. 

There are two seasons left on this deal to make the best use of the low AAV. He is getting older, so his next deal might not rank as high depending on the terms. However, as far as this contract goes, it was a massive win for Edmonton. 

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins wowed everyone with a 104-point season in 2022-23. That year made it look like this deal was going to age among the best in the league. That offensive production was an anomaly. He's since put up 67 points, 49 points, and 56 points. That's about where he realistically sits. 

That said, his production and versatility make his deal a great one for Edmonton. He plays in every situation, and he's the Swiss Army knife on this Oilers' roster. $5.125 million goes a long way when you look at him in that light. 

There are still three seasons on his deal. If the cap had stayed flat, his grade would be much lower. Because it's rising like it is, Nugent-Hopkins remains a great value contract. 

The new deal for Jason Dickinson is solid on two fronts: it's not overly costly, and the Oilers probably solved their third-line center problem that's been bugging them for years. At the same time, Dickinson is not an offensive weapon outside of a few hot runs, which he can have from time to time. 

At 31 years old, the five-year commitment could turn out to be good or bad. If he's producing, his deal will only look better as contracts rise across the NHL. If he's prone to becoming the next Adam Henrique, it's going to be an issue. He was given a full no-move in the first three seasons of that new deal. 

This was not a good signing by the Oilers, but I'm still hopeful Trent Frederic can find his game and turn things around to make it look like a disaster than it has up to this point. The Oilers gave Frederic more money than they needed to and for far too long a term. Eight years for a player that was injured when he arrived and didn't show what he could do before inking the deal was a calculated bet that hasn't paid off. 

Another strong deal for the team, this contract for Vasily Podkolzin is both inexpensive and has term on it. This is a player who continues to improve and the three seasons the Oilers got on this deal should allow him to find his game before either side needs to make a decision about much bigger money. 

Few players work as hard as Podkolzin, and for that reason alone, he's likely to outplay this extension many times over. 

There are a few things working for the Kasperi Kapanen deal. It's short at just one season, it's not expensive, and he's the kind of player who can slot up and down the lineup, playing multiple positions and in multiple situations. There are health issues with this player, but when he's in, he's relatively productive. 

The contract for Mattias Janmark isn't expensive, but it's the kind of deal that many fans are looking back at now and wondering why the Oilers have it on the books. He's been injury prone, he's taking up a contract, and that money could go someplace else. 

There are good things Janmark offers and he's come up big before. It just doesn't happen often enough for the Oilers to really get the most use out of the money. 

This contract could prove to be a winner if Colton Dach brings an element to this team that the Oilers lack. He's tough, willing to throw hits and disrupt, and he brings something out of players like Frederic. For the cost of $1.2 million, it's a good value signing. 

Dach is hardly going to wow you with his offense. That's not why he's on team. 

Does anyone know what kind of player the Oilers are going to get in Mathieu Joseph? He could outplay the low investment the Oilers made in him, or he could be a player who sees fewer than a dozen games in an Oilers uniform. He's never scored more than 13 goals in a season, and his career high in points is 35. Don't expect either from him in 2026-27. 

That said, there could be room for him on the team as a depth guy who is hard to play against. 

There is a lot of time for Josh Samanski within the Oilers organization. They believe there's a player there. The Oilers signed him in April of 2025 to a low-cost deal and most fans had never heard of the player. However, he's quickly making a name for himself as a lovable depth forward with a potentially high ceiling. 

If he plays a lot this season, that $975K contract is going to look like a steal. If he struggles, there's space to give him time to sort things out. 

If the Oilers can find a place for Ike Howard in this 2026-27 lineup, I'll be happy to move from grade from a C to something much higher. Unfortunately, it's unclear whether Howard will be that guy. He's a shooter, but under Kris Knoblauch last season, he didn't get a great opportunity to showcase his strengths. It will be interesting to see if Mike Babcock finds a better use for the forward. 

Matt Savoie first needs to be healthy for this deal to get a better grade than the one I'm giving it. I'm being overly tough on this grade because of the injury and the short window the Oilers have under this contract before it could get expensive.

He's showing he's got the stuff to be a 20-goal guy, but he has to do it this year. It's the least expensive contract on the roster for forwards today. However, the Oilers need to know exactly what he is before they can commit big money and term. 

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