Stan Bowman's decisions for next summer are already taking shape, and five Edmonton Oilers are about to find out exactly where they stand.
Kasperi Kapanen, Mattias Janmark, Frederik Andersen, Mathieu Joseph, and Max Jones are all entering the final year of their current deals, each occupying a very different spot on the depth chart.
Kapanen looks like the safest bet of the group. Edmonton brought him back on a one year, $2,600,000 deal after he posted 8 goals and 9 assists for 17 points in 41 games last season.
Injuries limited his regular season, but he turned it on in the playoffs, scoring 4 goals in 6 games to lead the Oilers during their first round exit against Anaheim, fitting well alongside Leon Draisaitl and Vasily Podkolzin.
He doesn't need a career year to earn another deal. Fifteen to 20 goals in a top nine role would give Bowman a reasonable case to keep him, though the price tag stays the real complication if he outproduces what Edmonton's used to paying him.
Janmark's situation looks far less secure. He managed just 1 goal and 7 assists for 8 points in 43 games last season, continuing a pattern where he's scored only 7 goals across his last 194 regular season appearances.
Andersen's season could reshape Edmonton's goalie plan
Production was never really the point of his game, but younger, faster options like Colton Dach and Josh Samanski have crowded that same bottom-six competition. Janmark may need to simply prove he belongs in the lineup every night before an extension is even a real conversation.
Andersen's contract carries the most weight of anyone on this list. He signed a one year, $2,800,000 deal after helping Carolina win it all, going 7-0 with a strong save percentage during that playoff run.
At 36, he's clearly not Edmonton's long-term answer, but his performance this season could decide how fast the organization needs to find one. The Oilers now carry an unusually crowded goaltending group with Andersen, Tristan Jarry, and newly acquired Devon Levi all in the mix.
Jarry posted just a .882 save percentage across 33 games last season and needs a real rebound after struggling following his arrival from Pittsburgh. Levi, acquired from Buffalo, represents the long-term plan Edmonton believes in.
If Andersen stays healthy and steady, he becomes a real bridge option while Levi develops. If not, Edmonton may need to speed up that timeline considerably.
Joseph arrives with almost no contractual security, signed for one year at $1,000,000 after posting just 2 goals and 9 assists for 11 points in 51 games split between St-Louis and Los Angeles last season.
That's a real drop from the 35 point season he once had in Ottawa, but Edmonton isn't asking him to replicate that immediately. His speed gives him a real path to stick, especially on a bottom six that leans heavier and slower than fast.
Jones rounds out the group on the smallest, most straightforward deal. He posted just 3 goals and 2 assists for 5 points in 21 NHL games last season, but he hit like few others in that stretch, recording 56 hits and finishing third on the team in hits per 60 minutes.
At 28, Edmonton knows exactly what Jones is, a physical energy winger who can spark a fourth line when he's actually in the lineup. The question is whether that identity survives a crowded bottom six that now includes Dach, Joseph, and Samanski all offering something similar.
None of these five contracts carry equal stakes, but together they'll quietly shape how much of Edmonton's supporting cast survives into next season. Bowman's real 2027 offseason work is already underway, just hidden inside training camp battles most fans won't notice until they're decided.
Which Oiler on an expiring deal is most likely to earn a new contract this season?
Also read on Markerzone.com:
Former Maple Leafs player rips into Auston Matthews with scathing comments
