The Edmonton Oilers’ potent offence lost some firepower in free agency Tuesday as forwards Corey Perry and Connor Brown signed with other teams.
Perry, 40, joined the L.A. Kings on a one-year, US$2-million deal that includes up to $2 million in additional performance bonuses.
Brown, 31, went to the New Jersey Devils on a four-year, $12-million contract.
The duo were key performers for Edmonton as the Oilers ground their way through the playoffs last season before losing Game 6 of the Stanley Cup final to the Florida Panthers.
After contributing 30 points (19 goals, 11 assists) across 81 regular-season contests in the 2024-25 campaign, Perry added 10 goals and four assists in 22 post-season games.
Brown also had 30 points (13 goals, 17 assists) during the regular season, then contributed five goals and four assists in 20 playoff outings.
Edmonton also parted ways with forward Viktor Arvidsson on Tuesday, dealing him to the Boston Bruins for a fifth-round pick in the 2027 draft.
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Arvidsson, 32, had 15 goals and 12 assists in 67 regular-season games for Edmonton last season, and added another seven points (two goals, five assists) in 15 playoff appearances.
The move gave the Oilers some much-needed cap space after Edmonton inked star defenceman Evan Bouchard to a new four-year, $42-million deal on Monday, one day before the 25-year-old blueliner from Oakville, Ont., was set to become a restricted free agent.
Edmonton also needs room to sign superstar captain Connor McDavid to an extension, something he is eligible for as of Tuesday.
Carrying an average annual value of $10.5 million, Bouchard’s new contract is a substantial raise on his previous $3.9-million cap hit.
Getting the new deal done was “an exciting process,” Bouchard said.
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“Nothing too painful. … And we’re happy where we are,” he said.
“We kind of just decided four years was a good term for myself, good term for the Oilers.”
Bouchard, drafted 10th overall by the Oilers in 2018, broke out with 18 goals and 64 assists across 81 games in 2023-24 before adding 32 points in 25 games during the playoffs.
Last season, he tallied 23 points in 22 playoff games after a 67-point regular season.
Only Bobby Orr (1.243) has a higher points-per-game average among defencemen than Bouchard’s 1.08 in the post-season.
The pain of losing the Stanley Cup to Florida in back-to-back seasons still smarts, though, Bouchard said, and he’s looking ahead to getting yet another chance at hockey’s biggest prize.
“We’re going to have a lot of the same guys back. Everyone’s going to be that much hungrier. Everyone knows that we have what it takes, we just need to give a little bit more,” the star defenceman said Tuesday. “So I’m excited. The Oilers and myself have a good chance in years to come.”
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