News Oilers Team Notes

[Edmonton Oilers]

NHL Notebook: Adrian Kempe, Artemi Panarin, Frederik Andersen headline top UFAs for 2026

While we’re just over a month into the 2025-26 season, it’s never too early to look at the class of talent that might become available next summer.

On Thursday, Daily Faceoff’s Matt Larkin released his Top 25 pending unrestricted free agents of 2026. While a number of players might have new deals by the time the season comes to an end, there are a few notable names he included on his list.

At the No. 1 spot is Los Angeles Kings forward Adrian Kempe. The 29-year-old is on the final year of his current deal, which carries a cap hit of $4.5 million. There are many projections that Kempe’s latest production could lead to him making double digits in his next contract. He’s a sure-fire player to hit 30 goals, and has been a key asset for the Kings in the playoffs.

“There’s a premium on players of his ilk,” Larkin wrote. “And we can expect him to land something in the $10-11-million AAV range unless he signs in a no-tax market.”

A player who’s already in the $10 million-plus area is New York Rangers sniper Artemi Panarin. With the team around him showing great signs of weakness, there’s a wonder if the Russian will be dealt before the trade deadline. That said, if he makes it to market, his value might be less than his current $11,642,857 price tag.

“His future feels cloudy,” Larkin explains. “Panarin will turn 35 next October and has yet to win a Stanley Cup in his career; if the Rangers, who missed the playoffs last season and have struggled to score this season, don’t reverse course and become a contender again, does Panarin want to re-up on a sinking ship? And from Rangers GM Chris Drury’s perspective, would it be risky to re-sign a declining Panarin?”

Larkin also mentioned a couple of goaltenders who could be available next summer. Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky is coming to the end of his seven-year contract, while Carolina Hurricanes backstop Frederik Andersen could be more attractive to a team that needs to be frugal (a la the Edmonton Oilers).

“If the Canes finally give the keys to [Pyotr] Kochetkov, who has another year left on his deal,” Larkin wrote. “Might Andersen seek a larger starting opportunity next season? The Edmonton Oilers could certainly use him.”

Other news and notes…​

• The Colorado Avalanche have signed goaltender Scott Wedgewood to a one-year contract extension. The 33-year-old receives a nice pay raise, as the deal will have a cap hit of $2.5 million through the 2026-27 season. The veteran netminder became the first goaltender to reach 10 wins so far this year, and has played admirably with the projected No. 1, Mackenzie Blackwood, recovering from injury.
• In other contract news, the Ottawa Senators have inked forward Shane Pinto to a four-year contract extension. The deal, set to kick in next season, will have an AAV of $7.5 million through the 2029-30 campaign. Pinto is part of the young core in the nation’s capital that is hopeful to make the Sens a powerhouse in the Atlantic Division.
• The Toronto Maple Leafs have placed forward David Kampf on unconditional waivers for the purpose of contract termination. The Swede was suspended by the Leafs last week after he left the team’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Toronto Marlies.

Source: https://oilersnation.com/news/nhl-n...arin-frederik-andersen-headline-top-ufas-2026

 

[Edmonton Oilers]

Third period rally comes up short as Oilers fall in Columbus: Recap, Highlights, and Reaction

Right back in the loss column for the Edmonton Oilers.

On Thursday evening, the Oilers played the second game against the Columbus Blue Jackets in just 72 hours. Unlike Monday’s game, the Oilers couldn’t rally late, falling 5-4 to the Eastern Conference team. Let’s take a look at what went on in this one.

In the final five minutes of the first period, the Blue Jackets took the lead. A shot by Charlie Coyle from the point was deflected in front of the net by Mathieu Olivier to give the Jackets a 1-0 lead.

Mathieu Olivier gives the Blue Jackets a 1-0 lead.

: Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/ZMz4zXJVPL

— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) November 14, 2025

Early in the second period, the Blue Jackets extended their lead to two, as Olivier stole the puck from Connor McDavid, drove the net, and Coyle tapped it in for a 2-0 lead.

Charlie Coyle extends the lead to 2-0.

: Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/rUzyOuIGKp

— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) November 14, 2025

The Oilers cut the lead in half midway through the second period. It was Matthew Savoie scoring his second career goal, deflecting an Evan Bouchard shot past the Blue Jackets’ netminder.

Matthew Savoie with the tip infront and cuts the lead to 2-1!

: Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/RtHx6e25LN

— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) November 14, 2025

Less than two minutes later, the Oilers tied the game. After a faceoff win in the offensive zone, Bouchard found Leon Draisaitl with a cross-ice pass, one-timing off the post to bring the game to 2-2.

Leon laser-beam #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/7qM9iXXrhY

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) November 14, 2025

That lead didn’t last long, as the Blue Jackets retook it just half a minute later. A shot from the point bounced off the end boards, right to the stick of Denton Mateychuk in the slot. Late in the second, the Blue Jackets took a 4-2 lead thanks to poor Oilers’ defence and Adam Fantilli’s third goal in as many games.

Adam Fantilli makes it 4-2.

: Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/FLp7mvkG0l

— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) November 14, 2025

Things went from bad to worse about eight minutes into the third period, as Olivier was left all alone in front of the net, chipping it past Calvin Pickard. The Oilers had a quick response to stop the bleeding, as the puck found its way to Vasily Podklozin in the slot. Podkolzin made no mistake in scoring his third of the season.

Vasily Podkolzin cuts the lead to 5-3.

: Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/vhlBRhvzEd

— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) November 14, 2025

The Oilers made a game of it midway through the third period off a faceoff play. After the faceoff win, Draisaitl got the puck to Bouchard, who passed it back to the German. Draisaitl went far side to bring the Oilers to within one.

Takeaways…​

Columbus deserved to win that game. The shots were similar, as the Oilers had 26 shots on net and the Jackets had 25. However, according to Natural Stat Trick, the Oilers only mustered three high-danger scoring chances to the Blue Jackets’ 12.

There was a lot of line blending during five-on-five play in this game. There were eight different lines with two or more minutes. The best of the bunch was the Jack Roslovic, Adam Henrique, and Vasily Podkolzin line, accounting for 67.87 percent of the expected goal share.

To start the game, the Oilers had Andrew Mangiapane with Connor McDavid and Matthew Savoie, with that trio accounting for 6.34 percent of the expected goal share. When Leon Draisaitl joined McDavid and Savoie, that trio had 65.49 percent of the expected goal share.

Mangiapane just hasn’t been a fit on the Oilers. He finished as a -4 in this game, giving him a team-worst -15 this season. Three of his six points came in the first three games, with two of his four goals coming in the first two games. It’s looking like a similar misfit to the Viktor Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner additions back in 2024.

On the other hand, Savoie had another strong game, scoring his second career goal. He played just under 20 minutes, which shows that the Oilers are starting to trust him in a top-six role. While he only had one point, he was all over the ice and even drew a penalty in the first shift of the third period.

McDavid picked up two assists, bringing him to 27 points, second in the league. With two goals, Draisaitl now has 12 goals this season, tied for second in the league. Evan Bouchard led the Oilers with three points, getting three assists in 25 minutes of ice time. Mattias Ekholm was held pointless but was +2, while all other Oilers defencemen finished as a minus.

Calvin Pickard had a tough start, allowing five goals on 25 shots for an .800 save percentage. At some point, the Oilers need to think about bringing on a new backup as Pickard has an .830 save percentage. That said, the defence didn’t help him much.

Edmonton’s seven-game road trip continues on Saturday, as they head to Raleigh, North Carolina, to play the Hurricanes on Saturday at 5:00 PM MT. The Oilers now sit 8-7-4 on the season.

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Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Oilersnation, FlamesNation, and Blue Jays Nation. Follow her on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

Source: https://oilersnation.com/news/third...us-blue-jackets-recap-highlights-and-reaction