Progress Being Made: Two Key Oilers Pending UFAs on New Contracts

The Edmonton Oilers have some important decisions to make on several pending UFAs before July 1. While it’s being speculated that Jack Roslovic, Adam Henrique, and a couple of others will go to market and see if they can sign a better deal than the Oilers will offer, Edmonton has made two UFAs a priority.

Both Connor Murphy and Jason Dickinson are important parts of what the Oilers want to build toward next season. In both cases, the Oilers would like to see both sign before July 1.

Here’s the latest;

Connor Murphy

TSN’s Ryan Rishaug reported Thursday that discussions are continuing between the Oilers and Murphy’s camp, noting that “term and dollars will have to make sense based on the market.” One complicating factor was believed to have been Edmonton’s coaching situation — NHL insider Marco D’Amico noted that several pending free agents are waiting for the Oilers to resolve their coaching situation before deciding on their next move. That’s not necessarily the case with Murphy.

It sounds like Babcock coming in won’t scare him off.

Murphy does have other options if talks don’t progress. Before his move to Edmonton at the trade deadline, he had drawn interest from several teams, including the Montreal Canadiens, and analysts have pointed to Boston, Dallas, and San Jose as potential suitors if he hits the open market.

Jason Dickinson

There’s no confirmed insider reporting specifically on the Jason Dickinson negotiations, but the signals are cautiously optimistic. Chatter from around the team suggests Edmonton has made progress with the third-line center.With Jack Roslovic and Adam Henrique heading out, there’s a defined role for Dickinson on the team and he wants to stay where playoff hockey is on the table.

The potential snag is money. Dickinson is expected to demand a contract in the upper range of $5 million AAV, which may fall out of Edmonton’s comfort zone. And, with the center market being very thin this offseason, demand for players like Dickinson is expected to skyrocket. It won’t help Edmonton in terms of leverage.

Both players are ones the Oilers clearly want back — analysts widely agree Murphy and Dickinson should be re-signed. It’s believed both are open to staying. Still, cap space is tight in Edmonton, and there are unanswered questions. What happens in goal? What happens with Darnell Nurse? Which notable UFAs will look at the Oilers and how much cap space will GM Stan Bowman have at his disposal?

Next: Some Interesting Names are Popping Up as Possible Darnell Nurse Replacements