Edmonton Oilers making moves as NHL free agency window opens

The Canadian Press

· Posted: Jul 02, 2025 3:25 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 hours ago

The Edmonton Oilers' potent offence mislaid immoderate firepower successful escaped bureau Tuesday arsenic forwards Corey Perry and Connor Brown signed with different teams.

Perry, 40, joined the L.A. Kings connected a one-year, $2-million US woody that includes up to $2 cardinal successful further show bonuses.

Brown, 31, went to the New Jersey Devils connected a four-year, $12-million contract.

The duo were cardinal performers for Edmonton arsenic the Oilers crushed their mode done the playoffs past play earlier losing Game 6 of the Stanley Cup last to the Florida Panthers.

After contributing 30 points (19 goals, 11 assists) crossed 81 regular-season contests successful the 2024-25 campaign, Perry added 10 goals and 4 assists successful 22 post-season games.

Brown besides had 30 points (13 goals, 17 assists) during the regular season, past recorded 5 goals and 4 assists successful 20 playoff outings.

Edmonton besides parted ways with guardant Viktor Arvidsson connected Tuesday, dealing him to the Boston Bruins for a fifth-round prime successful the 2027 draft.

Arvidsson, 32, had 15 goals and 12 assists successful 67 regular-season games for Edmonton past season, and added different 7 points (two goals, 5 assists) successful 15 playoff appearances.

The determination gave the Oilers immoderate much-needed headdress abstraction aft Edmonton inked prima defenceman Evan Bouchard to a caller four-year, $42-million woody connected Monday, 1 time earlier the 25-year-old blueliner from Oakville, Ont., was acceptable to go a restricted escaped agent.

Edmonton besides needs country to motion Connor McDavid to a caller deal. The superstar skipper is eligible for an hold arsenic of Tuesday.

Carrying an mean yearly worth of $10.5 million, Bouchard's caller declaration is simply a important rise connected his erstwhile $3.9-million headdress hit.

Getting the caller woody done was "an breathtaking process," Bouchard said.

"Nothing excessively painful  … And we're blessed wherever we are," helium said.

"We benignant of conscionable decided 4 years was a bully word for myself, bully word for the Oilers."

Bouchard, drafted 10th wide by the Oilers successful 2018, broke retired with 18 goals and 64 assists crossed 81 games successful 2023-24 earlier adding 32 points successful 25 games during the playoffs.

Last season, helium tallied 23 points successful 22 playoff games aft a 67-point regular season.

Only Bobby Orr (1.243) has a higher points-per-game mean among defencemen than Bouchard's 1.08 successful the post-season.

The symptom of losing the Stanley Cup to Florida successful back-to-back seasons inactive smarts, though, Bouchard said, and he's looking up to getting yet different accidental astatine hockey's biggest prize.

"We're going to person a batch of the aforesaid guys back. Everyone's going to beryllium that overmuch hungrier. Everyone knows that we person what it takes, we conscionable request to springiness a small spot more," the prima defenceman said Tuesday. "So I'm excited. The Oilers and myself person a bully accidental successful years to come."

The six-foot-three, 192-pound jock has been moving connected the antiaircraft broadside of his crippled successful caller years, and said his extremity moving guardant is to play with much consistency.

"I deliberation implicit the past play oregon two, I've truly focused connected the antiaircraft broadside of things," Bouchard said. "Especially aboriginal successful the season, travel playoff time, that's the astir important happening is to support the puck retired of the net. So I deliberation my game's conscionable going to support getting better, support increasing connected some sides."

The Oilers announced precocious connected Tuesday they had signed guardant Andrew Mangiapane to a two-year woody with an mean yearly worth of $3.6 million.

The 29-year-old Mangiapane dressed successful 81 regular-season games for the Washington Capitals this past season, signaling 14 goals, 14 assists and 24 punishment minutes.

A seasoned of 498 NHL games, the Toronto autochthonal makes his mode backmost to Alberta aft spending 7 seasons with the Calgary Flames, wherever helium was primitively drafted successful 2015 (sixth round, 166 overall).

Named MVP of the 2021 satellite championship, the speedy winger has besides made 37 playoff appearances including 10 games with the Caps this past outpouring tallying a extremity and an assist.

The Oilers besides signed Curtis Lazar connected Wednesday to a one-year declaration with an mean yearly worth of $775,000. The 30-year-old guardant antecedently won a Memorial Cup with the WHL's Edmonton Oil Kings. 

Edmonton besides announced a brace of extent signings precocious connected Tuesday.

Defenceman Riley Stillman and goalie Matt Tomkins each agreed to a two-year, two-way woody with an mean yearly worth of $775,000.