[CaptainCrunch]

The Oilers for all of their gaudy signings are heading into a sweat inducing year next year.


Lets say that they resign Boingboing and Holloway to fairly cheap 1.5 million dollar contracts each.


then for next year they are already 5.5 million over the cap. Now we know that the likely strat is to put Kane on LTIR, but how's he going to feel about that? And will the league allow something this blatant (probably).


But that would leave them in a theoretical situation where they have 26.6 in cap space for the year after next with 14 players under contract.


And lets say that Draisaitl does agree to a discounted 14 million dollar deal (unlikely). that then leaves 12 million with 15 players. There's no way that Bouchard doesn't demand a huge raise, based on how the Oilers value him, and he's probably going to look at Nurse's deal as guidance. So they sign him in theory to a 9 million dollar deal. So now they're down to 5 million with 16 players.



Now lets say that Draisaitl is determined to explore free agency, or decides hey man I want to be the highest paid player in the league to pave the way for my Buddy Conna. And the Oilers are in a playoff spot by the trade deadline. Do they risk losing Draisaitl for nothing to pursue the Cup, knowing that the destruction of their franchise will follow whether they win the cup on not?


I'm convinced that the signing of these senior citizens, isn't about anything more then panic, of taking a shot at the cup in the last year of their window.