Oilers leader drops major revelation in latest comments
Kasperi Kapanen and Kris Knoblauch now head into a busy Edmonton summer with the winger making it clear he wants back.
That matters because Edmonton is not only staring at big-picture change. The Oilers also have to decide which support pieces are worth keeping after a season that ended with a lot of disappointment.
Kapanen sounds like one of the easiest calls to examine first. He said he hopes it was not his last game as an Oiler, and his fit was obvious down the stretch.
He gave Edmonton pace, line flexibility, and real playoff pop. In 18 playoff games, Kapanen scored 7 goals and added 12 points, which is the kind of depth production this team needed badly.
That is why he stands out in this group. Jason Dickinson, Connor Murphy, and Connor Ingram all said they would like to stay too, but Kapanen feels like the cleanest hockey fit at the right time.
He is also coming off a 1300000 contract, so this is not the kind of negotiation that should break the whole cap structure. Edmonton needs value deals, and Kapanen has a case as one of them.
The rest of the list gets trickier fast. Ingram may want back, but the crease is already crowded and uncertain, especially with Tristan Jarry still carrying a 5375000 cap hit for 2 more seasons.
“I had a great experience here, and I don’t have anything bad to say,” said Murphy. “So grateful to be here and hopefully to continue that.”
“I do consider this home. My son was born here, and so it’s a special place,” said Kapanen. “Hopefully the talks will work out and I come back.”
“I really enjoyed my time here,” said Ingram. “I’d love to be back.”
Key Oilers leader reveals surprising details in new statement
Dickinson and Murphy both made strong first impressions after arriving from Chicago. Murphy brought edge on the blue line, while Dickinson gave the Oilers useful minutes before finishing the year playing through a broken foot.
But fit and price are two different things. Murphy is coming off a 4400000 deal and Dickinson was at 4250000, even if Chicago retained salary on both after the trade.
That is where Edmonton has to be sharp. The Oilers have roughly 16490000 in cap space, and that money has to cover more than sentiment after the way this season ended.
Kapanen still looks like the best bet because he checks a real need without demanding star money. He can play up and down the lineup, he found chemistry quickly, and he already sounds fully bought in.
Murphy makes sense too if the number stays reasonable, especially for a team still searching for more bite on the back end. Dickinson is useful, but the salary fit may be tougher.
“My son’s almost 2, so I think he’d be happy probably anywhere. But my wife especially has really loved it and gelled with all the wives and girlfriends here, have been accepting and (she has) built friendships with them already. So that part is really important, and when that all can gel, I think that’s really important for it to fit.”
So this is the simple read from Edmonton’s side. Four free agents want to stay, but Kasperi Kapanen feels like the one the Oilers should make the cleanest effort to keep before the rest of the market starts moving.
Source : ‘It’s a special place’: Four free agents hope to re-sign with Oilers
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MAY 3, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Kaiden Guhle | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Jack Drury | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Dominic James | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Sam Malinski | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Alex Newhook | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Nick Suzuki | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Josh Anderson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Charles-Edouard D'Astous | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Gage Goncalves | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Lane Hutson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Martin Necas | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Logan O'Connor | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Devon Toews | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Oliver Bjorkstrand | - | - | - | |
| Nick Blankenburg | - | - | - | |
| Zach Bogosian | - | - | - | |
| Zachary Bolduc | - | - | - | |
| Matthew Boldy | - | - | - | |
| Brent Burns | - | - | - | |
| Alexandre Carrier | - | - | - | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||