The NHL free agent frenzy is almost upon us. It’s an exciting time of year, but also one that’s left plenty of scar tissue on the Edmonton Oilers in recent history.

In 2024, the team made a big splash on July 1 when they signed Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson. Despite their impressive track records, both veterans spent time in the bottom six and the press box — not exactly the best use of their combined $7 million cap hit.

Last year, Edmonton’s biggest July 1 move was signing Andrew Mangiapane to a two-year deal with an AAV of $3.6 million. The fit was so poor that Stan Bowman paid a premium to trade him just seven months later.

Considering the damage they’ve done to their cap sheet the last couple of years, I wouldn’t blame the Oilers if they sat out the first day of free agency altogether this time around. But to plug the remaining holes in their roster, they’ll have to dip their toes into the free agent pool at some point. And they can’t afford another misstep.

According to PuckPedia, Edmonton has roughly $7.4 million of cap space remaining, and their pending restricted free agents, Colton Dach and Spencer Stastney, shouldn’t put much of a dent in that. With Jack Roslovic and Kasperi Kapanen expected to depart, they’ll likely use most of that money on another middle-six forward. Few players make more sense to fill that role than Matias Maccelli.

Earlier this week, TSN Hockey insider Chris Johnston reported that the Toronto Maple Leafs would not be........

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