Edmonton Oilers: 3 Players With Expiring Contracts

With the off-season almost completed, it feels right to take a preview into next year's. In this segment, we will be looking at three players from each team who have expiring contracts. Both restricted and unrestricted free agents are eligible for discussion.

In this piece, we will be looking at the Edmonton Oilers. They already completed a big task by extending Darnell Nurse before his current contract expires. However, they have two notable RFAs next off-season to focus on, too. A few other depth players also have expiring deals, but it is hard to say if the the Oilers will bring them back.

Kailer Yamamoto RW (RFA): Kailer Yamamoto signed his one-year deal with the Oilers a few days ago. His cap hit for the season is only $1.175 million, but that is likely to change next summer. In 52 games this past season, Yamamoto scored eight goals and recorded 21 points. That kind of production is pretty decent, but he had 26 points in just 27 games the season before. If he's able to produce similar totals to his 2019-20 campaign, he could command a nice increase in salary. This makes him a big player to watch.

Jesse Puljujärvi RW (RFA): Jesse Puljujärvi is another key RFA who the Oilers will need to re-sign this summer. It will be interesting to see if they will successfully re-sign both Yamamoto and Puljujärvi. In 55 games this past season, Puljujärvi set career-highs with 15 goals, 10 assists and 25 points. This came after spending the past season back in Finland, so it was a nice surprise. One has to wonder if the 23-year-old winger can progress even more next season. This would also get him a noticeable raise.

Kyle Turris C (UFA): This is a big year for Kyle Turris. If he has another campaign like his last one, he may have trouble finding another home in the NHL. In 27 games, he scored two goals and had five points. This was a noticeable decline in production, as he had 31 points in 62 games the season before with the Nashville Predators. If he's able to produce more this upcoming season, he could be able to land himself a one-year deal as a free agent. If not, this could be Turris' last NHL season.

Honorable Mention: Goaltender Mikko Koskinen's $4.5 million cap hit will be off the books after this season. In 26 games this past season, the 33-year-old had a 13-13-0 record and .899 SV%.