Owen Michaels' unusual deal bypasses the AHL. Discover the strategic reasons behind the Oilers' unique contract for the promising forward.
The Edmonton Oilers signed undrafted college UFA Owen Michaels to a one-year entry-level deal for this season. Interestingly, the contract doesn't run past the end of this campaign, and Michaels is not eligible to play in the AHL.
As a result, some fans are asking, why sign a deal with a player who isn't eligible to play?
The answer seems to be that this is a temporary contract and Michaels will need to be signed again this summer. Because he turned 24 this year, he could only sign for a single season. The two sides agreed to sign a contract for the rest of this year, and then they will likely sign another contract this offseason.
His NHL Salary will be $935K, and he received a signing bonus of $40K. As per Puck Pedia, that gives him a total cap hit of $1.48 million.
Owen Michaels signed by Oilers Photo by:
© Jeff Curry Imagn ImagesThe 23-year-old University of Western Michigan captain had 13 goals and 13 assists in 26 games this season. He also helped lead the Mustangs to a national championship last season.
Reports indicated that the Oilers had been working on recruiting Michaels for a while. He was a priority for Stan Bowman & Kalle Larsson- (Senior Director of Player Development).
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