The offseason machine keeps on chugging along for the Oilers when it comes to the roster makeup for October.
Earlier today the team extended qualifying offers to Kailer Yamamoto, Tyler Benson, Cooper Marody, and Stuart Skinner. Every player that the Oilers qualified is expected to sign extensions with the club. Yamamoto saw the most time on the big club among those offered qualifying offers in 2020-21. This past season saw Yamamoto play in 52 games with the Oilers while recording 21 points.
2020-21 saw Yamamoto as a consistent face in the Oilers’ top-six forward group and next year will be one where we’ll see if he’s able to make the next jump as a point producer in the lineup. Benson, Marody, and Skinner we’ll see at camp and I wouldn’t be surprised if one of these names are on the Oilers lineup to start the regular season on October 13th vs Vancouver.
Two names that were not extended qualifying offers were Jujhar Khaira and Dominik Kahun. Khaira is coming off his sixth season with the Oilers, one in which Khaira put up only 10 points in 40 games but it also saw him miss time due to injuries.
As much as Khaira’s game struggled this season, during his time as an Oiler he quickly became a fan favourite of the franchise. Khaira was never one to shy away from the physical aspect of the game and in the past had been beneficial as a depth forward on Edmonton’s roster in the past.
Kahun’s tenure with the Oilers appears to be ending after just one season in orange and blue. Kahun played 48 games with the Oilers, putting up 15 points. Kahun was among one of the better players on the bottom six that struggled when it came to point production but clearly, the franchise had other plans in mind. I believe elsewhere in the NHL there’s still value for Kahun as a bottom-six forward and he’ll be a pickup before training camps open later this year.
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