Matt Savoie and the Edmonton Oilers don't necessarily need another big name before camp opens. They need actual solutions.
Savoie is expected to miss time, and Frederik Andersen, Mattias Janmark, and Alec Regula are all reportedly unavailable too right now.
Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl already give this roster its star power, so the real question is which remaining free agent actually solves a problem.
Start with scoring depth. Edmonton doesn't need a 30-goal guy, just someone who reliably finds the net from the middle six.
Vladimir Tarasenko fits that best. He scored 23 goals and 47 points in 75 games with Minnesota last season, including 18 goals at even strength.
Michael Bunting offers a different look, physical and irritating, and he scored at least 19 goals every year from 2021-22 through 2024-25 before dipping to 13 goals last season.
Eeli Tolvanen, just 27, scored 23 goals and 35 points with Seattle in 2024-25 and has topped 30 points in four straight seasons.
Why Edmonton's penalty kill need might matter even more
Losing Savoie and Janmark strips away two real penalty-killing options, and nobody wants McDavid logging even more shorthanded minutes on top of 20-plus a night already.
Adam Henrique, a former Oiler, brings real penalty-killing experience, though his offense cratered from 27 points in 2024-25 to just 15 last season.
Curtis Lazar offers less offense but dependable defensive value as a right-shot center who can kill penalties.
Luke Kunin, 28, also centers and kills penalties, winning 49.4 percent of faceoffs despite managing just 10 points in 62 games.
Tyson Jost brings speed to the kill too, coming off an eight-goal season. Nashville scored four times and allowed nine goals with Jost on the ice shorthanded.
Kunin looks like the best specific fit for this exact need, reliability over raw scoring.
For a reclamation swing, Jonathan Drouin makes legitimate sense. He posted 56 points playing with Nathan MacKinnon in 2023-24 before a rough 24-point season split between the Islanders and Blues.
Patrik Laine remains the bigger gamble, a proven 20-goal shooter whose defensive limitations make him a tough fit next to an already elite power play.
Edmonton doesn't need to chase the biggest name available. It needs the right complementary pieces around the stars it already has.
Which free agent should the Oilers prioritize: Tarasenko, Kunin, or Drouin?
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