The Edmonton Oilers failed to make the Stanley Cup Final in 2026 after making each of the previous two Finals. Edmonton is starting to feel a ton of pressure to win now while they still have both Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on the roster. With the 2026 Stanley Cup Final now complete, the Oilers can turn their attention fully to the offseason.
What Edmonton does certainly remains to be seen. One move that’s expected to happen is a trade involving Darnell Nurse. The Edmonton defenseman recently requested a trade out of Alberta following the 2025-26 campaign. Nurse, 31, is signed for four more seasons at a cap hit of $9.25 million.
Clearing as much of that cap space as possible is necessary for general manager Stan Bowman. As things stand, Edmonton only has about $14.5 million in available cap space. This leaves the Oilers with some flexibility, but not much considering the rising salary cap. Edmonton is going to want to make some significant upgrades to the team. And they’ll need as much cap space as they can get to make it happen.
The specific moves Edmonton will want to make certainly remain to be seen. But this is not a team lacking in terms of need. They could stand to add more forward depth to the roster. Adding defensive cover could also help, especially with Nurse out the door this offseason. Their goaltending woes certainly need no mention here.
Overall, the Oilers have a lot of areas they need to address. With all this in mind, here is the one player the Oilers should sign when he becomes available in 2026 NHL Free Agency.
Bobby McMann makes a lot of sense for Oilers in NHL Free Agency
Edmonton still boasts an incredible attack, with Draisaitl and McDavid remaining the best 1-2 punch in the NHL. Defenseman Evan Bouchard also emerged as a legitimate No. 1 defenseman, scoring 95 points for the Oilers this year. Outside of these three players, though, Edmonton’s scoring depth is nigh non-existent.
This is not to say that Edmonton doesn’t have players it can rely on. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins nearly hit the 60-point mark this season. Zach Hyman scored 31 goals in 2025-26 after falling short of that mark the year prior. Jack Roslovic was a good depth signing, as he scored 21 goals this year, as well.
However, Roslovic is a free agent after this season. And there are inconsistencies with Nugent-Hopkins and Hyman that make it difficult to gauge what they can bring to the table moving forward. Adding another forward to the top nine could at least give Edmonton some insurance in case one of their superstars has an off-night.
Bobby McMann is a late bloomer, but he has been quite consistent over the last few seasons. The 2025-26 campaign was his best, offensively. Splitting the season between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Seattle Kraken, the soon-to-be 30-year-old scored a career high of 29 goals. He was unable to help the Kraken make the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but he was very good in 2025-26.
The Oilers will certainly battle a lot of teams to sign McMann. He is going to be a popular player in NHL Free Agency, even if he doesn’t have the track record of some of the other wingers. There is a chance he gets a healthy term, and he is undoubtedly cashing in with a big raise. The question is whether Edmonton is willing to outbid other teams, or if they will even have the chance to do so this summer.
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