The Edmonton Oilers had a busy July 1st, in which they signed five players. I honestly don’t know if this was expected by most people or not, but I figured they would be busy. However, they have yet to do what they need to, which is to find top six support for Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, as well as improve their defense and find reliable goalies. So, signing more depth players wasn’t necessarily the smartest thing to do. But, they were far better than anything Peter Chiarelli had done during his tenure, so I think Oilers fans will probably call this day a win because it didn’t hurt the franchise, it just didn’t really help. Anyways, here’s a recap of their day and a short write-up on each of the players.
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Markus Granlund, F. Granlund was signed to a one-year, $1.3 million contract. In 77 games played with the Vancouver Canucks last season, he tallied 12 goals and 10 assists. Drafted in the second round (45th overall) of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft by the Calgary Flames, Granlund has appeared in 301 career NHL games, in which he has produced 55 goals and 42 assists. The 26-year-old center is on his third organization over his six season NHL career.
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Mike Smith, G. Smith was signed to a one-year, $2 million contract. In 43 games played last season for the Calgary Flames, he sported a 2.73 GAA and 0.898 SV%. Drafted in the fifth round (161st overall) of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft by the Dallas Stars, Smith has played in 573 career NHL games, over which he owns a 2.70 GAA and 0.912 SV%. The 37-year-old netminder is on his fifth team over his 13 season NHL career.
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Alex Chiasson, F. Chiasson was resigned to a two-year contract worth $4.3 million ($2.15 million AAV). He appeared in 73 games for Edmonton last season, over which he produced 22 goals and 16 assists. Drafted in the second round (38th overall) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft by the Dallas Stars, Chiasson has played in 454 career NHL games, in which he has recorded 81 goals and 81 assists. The 28-year-old right wing is on his sixth team over his seven season NHL career.
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Jujhar Khaira, F. Khaira was resigned to a two-year contract worth $2.4 million ($1.2 million AAV). In 60 games played for the Oilers last season, he put up three goals and 15 assists. Drafted in the third round (63rd overall) of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft by Edmonton, Khaira has appeared in 154 career NHL games, in which he has 15 goals and 27 assists. The 24-year-old left wing has only played for the Oilers over his four season NHL career.
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Tomas Jurco, F. Jurco was signed to a one-year contract worth $750,000. He did not play in any NHL games last season, but he did appear in 33 AHL games, in which he tallied 12 goals and 15 assists. He started the season with the Springfield Thunderbird, but was traded mid-season to the Charlotte Checkers, for whom he also played in 18 playoff games as they won the Calder Cup, in which he produced 7 goals and 11 assists. Drafted in the second round (35th overall) of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft by the Detroit Red Wings, Jurco has played in 201 career NHL games, over which he has recorded 22 goals and 28 assists. The 26-year-old left wing is on his third organization over his five season NHL career.
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Josh Archibald, F. Archibald signed a one-year contract worth $1 milion. In 68 games played for the Arizona Coyotes last season, he recorded 12 goals andten assists. Drafted in the sixth round (174th overall) of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins, Archibald has appeared in 121 career NHL games, over which he has recorded 20 goals and 16 assists. The 26-year-old right wing is on his third organization over his four NHL seasons.
This post will be updated if and when the team makes any more signings.
Hockey Addict 