Expect more of the same from Oilers, GM Holland

The Edmonton Oilers have a winning move this summer. Can you guess what it is?

It’s most likely more of the same, Ken Holland’s famous patience.

Not everyone is going to like that. For a good number of fans, the move Edmonton should make is obvious. Clear out as much salary as you can, moving out players like Kailer Yamamoto, Cody Ceci and Warren Foegele, for example, and bring in one more big name player, possibly with an Unrestricted Free Agent signing.

It makes perfect sense, right? Ceci and Yamamoto didn’t bring good value on their $3.2 million and $3.1 million deals respectively last summer, while Foegele was inconsistent on his $2.7 million deal. All three are good enough players, but you can maybe get draft picks for them, fill in the roster with big, skilled, mobile, younger and far cheaper players like Dylan Holloway, Raphael Lavoie and Philip Broberg, then spend all that extra cap space on your one big UFA signing, one more $5 milliona-year man to fill out the roster.

What’s not to love? Who says it won’t work?

Such a plan might just be the best idea.

But, one thing, have you seen the prices that UFAS might well command this year?

Over at The Daily Faceoff, astute writer Frank Seravalli worked with AFP Analytics to take a stab at how much the top UFAS will make. Here are a few of their findings:

Damon Severson, 28, right shot d-man, six years, $6.1 million per

Tyler Bertuzzi, 28, left wing, six years, $5.25 million per

Dmitry Orlov, 31, left defence, five years, $6.25 million per

Alex Killorn, 33, right winger, four years at $5.25 million per

Vlad Gavrikov, 27, left d-man, five years at $4.9 million per

Tristan Jarry, 28, goalie, four years, $4.8 million per

Ivan Barbashev, 27, forward, four years at $4.2 million per

Scott Mayfield, 30, right d-man, three years at $3.75 million per

Connor Brown, 29, right winger, four years at $3.3 million

Maybe there is a deal to be had.