Oilers fans just got major confirmation involving two core pieces
Jason Dickinson and Stan Bowman are suddenly tied to one of Edmonton's clearest summer decisions.
The Oilers have 8 unrestricted free agents heading toward July 1, and the point from the report is simple: not all of them are coming back.
That is what makes Dickinson interesting.
Current contract: Two years, $4.25 million cap hit
AFP projection: Two years, $3.1 million cap hit
Edmonton will need to figure out its third-line centre, and Jason Dickinson could be the answer.
He is not the flashiest name on the list. He is not the loudest scoring story either. But he may be one of the cleaner fits for what Edmonton still needs down the middle.
The file says AFP Analytics projects Dickinson's next deal at 2 years with a 3.1 million cap hit.
That matters because it would come in below his previous 4.25 million number, which gives Bowman a much easier path to keeping him around.
And the Oilers still need to solve the 3C spot. The report says Dickinson could be the answer there, especially because his biggest value is still in his defensive game.
Edmonton's middle-six decisions are starting to sort themselves out
This is where Dickinson starts to stand out from the rest of the UFA pile. Jack Roslovic is projected for a major raise at 4 years and 4.4 million per season, which could price him out of Edmonton's comfort zone fast.
Adam Henrique is projected at 1 year and 2.3 million, but the article flat-out suggests even that may be too expensive for a player coming off the worst season of his career.
Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Imagn Images
Age: 36
Current contract: Two years, $3 million cap hit
AFP projection: One year, $2.3 million cap hit
Adam Henrique is coming off the worst season of his career, and it doesn't seem likely that he will be back with the Oilers.
Curtis Lazar and Max Jones project closer to minimum-type bets at 850,000 on 1-year deals. Useful players, sure, but not guys who solve a real roster question.
Dickinson does.
He gives Edmonton a center option with real checking value, and the projection says the price may actually drop into a more workable range instead of climbing. That is a big deal on a team that still needs room to address bigger issues too.
Connor Ingram's projected raise to 2 years at 2.9 million shows how quickly goalie money can eat up space if Edmonton chooses to go that route.
So Bowman has to be selective. He cannot keep everyone, and he should not try.
That is why Dickinson feels like one of the smarter holds on the board. He is not likely to break the bank, he fills a need, and he gives the Oilers a little more structure in a part of the lineup that still matters a ton.
Not every offseason move has to win the headline.
Some just have to make the team make more sense.
Source : What analytics project each Edmonton Oilers free agent will get on next contract
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YESTERDAY
MAY 16, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Rasmus Dahlin | 1 | 4 | 5 | |
| Tage Thompson | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| Jack Quinn | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Zach Benson | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jake Evans | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jason Zucker | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Ivan Demidov | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Konsta Helenius | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Zach Metsa | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Arber Xhekaj | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Bowen Byram | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Cole Caufield | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Lane Hutson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Michael Matheson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Ryan McLeod | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Josh Norris | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Mattias Samuelsson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Josh Anderson | - | - | - | |
| Zachary Bolduc | - | - | - | |
| Alexandre Carrier | - | - | - | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||