Inside look at Edmonton Oilers

NHL.com is providing in-depth roster, prospect and fantasy analysis for each of its 32 teams from Aug. 1-Sept. 1. Today, the Edmonton Oilers.

The Edmonton Oilers were a victory away from winning the Stanley Cup in June and are determined to complete the job this season.

Jeff Jackson, the Oilers CEO and president, in the absence of a general manager when Ken Holland departed after five seasons, solidified the roster by re-signing forwards Connor Brown, Corey Perry, Adam Henrique, Mattias Janmark and defenseman Troy Stecher, and adding forwards Viktor Arvidsson, Jeff Skinner and defenseman Josh Brown.

Led by forwards Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, the Oilers may have a more formidable lineup this season than the one that reached Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, a 2-1 loss to the Florida Panthers.

“We’re very pleased to add Viktor and Jeff to our top six group,” Jackson said July 1. “They’re complementary players to the guys that we already have in those roles. Viktor has great speed, very tenacious, he’s a puck-battle winner and he can score. We really like him.”

Arvidsson signed a two-year, $8 million contract ($4 million average annual value) and is expected to play on a line with Draisaitl. The 31-year-old was limited to 18 games last season (15 points: six goals, nine assists) because of back and lower-body injuries, then had three assists in five playoff games for the Los Angeles Kings.

“I’m happy to be an Oiler,” Arvidsson said July 1. “It’s going to be really fun. I think the group is great and they have something really going there and for us, it’s going to be fun.”

Skinner signed a one-year, $3 million contract July 1. The 32-year-old had the final three seasons of an eight-year, $72 million contract ($9 million AAV) bought out by the Buffalo Sabres on June 30. He had 46 points (24 goals, 22 assists) in 74 games last season, and 82 points (35 goals, 47 assists) in 79 games in 2022-23.

Entering his 15th NHL season, Skinner has played 1,006 games but has yet to play in the playoffs.

“With Jeff Skinner, he’s obviously a guy that’s had a long career and has scored a lot of goals in the League, and a couple years ago he had over 80 points,” Jackson said. “He’s a very good player, a smart player who can play with skilled players. The thing we really liked about him, too, just like Viktor, he’s a good 5-on-5 player and they produce offense on 5-on-5, so both of those guys are going to add a nice element to our top six.”

Jackson and his management team did most of the work putting the roster together for this season before hiring new general manager Stan Bowman on July 24. The architect of three Stanley Cup championships with the Chicago Blackhawks (2010, 2013, 2015), Bowman is tasked with keeping Edmonton’s championship window open as long as possible.

A key to keeping it open is re-signing Draisaitl and McDavid beyond the end of their respective contracts. Draisaitl is entering the final season of his eight-year, $68 million contract ($8.5 million AAV) signed Aug. 16, 2017. McDavid has two seasons remaining on an eight-year, $100 million contract ($12.5 million AAV) signed July 5, 2017. He is not eligible to re-sign until July 1, 2025.

McDavid won the Conn Smythe Trophy as Stanley Cup Playoffs MVP despite the Oilers losing to Florida in the Stanley Cup Final.

“Leon’s a star player and he’s top priority for me. I want Leon to be an Oiler for life,” Bowman said. “He’s a fantastic player. I’ve enjoyed watching him play and what sets him and Connor apart from pretty much anyone else -- they’re certainly stars -- but they’re that rare breed that can elevate their game in the playoffs, which is a hard thing to do. The games get harder, the attention on them gets higher and you look at their performance and they’re the best there is.”

With the re-signing of key supporting players and new additions, Edmonton enters the season as a Stanley Cup contender again.

“The one thing that I’ve learned from my time in Chicago, perhaps the hard way, is that it’s natural for us to look at last year’s team and then figure we just need that one piece,” Bowman said. “But I learned that next year’s team is going to be next year’s team. You don’t want it to be last year’s team and try to recreate what you had. There are going to be things that are different, even with the same players.”