The Edmonton Oilers may need to free up some cap space. They have less than $300,000 in wiggle room at this time, which obviously isn’t enough to allow them to make any further tweaks to their roster via free agency. They may not even have any desire to do that, though having some breathing room from a cap perspective is always a good thing.
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It seems that the Oilers are wanting to create some space, as insider Bob Stauffer has hinted several times that they would like to free up roughly $1 million, if not slightly more. While he hasn’t said any specific names, the one player who seemingly fits that bill is Mattias Janmark, who has two seasons remaining on a contract that carries a cap hit of $1.45 million.
Janmark is a solid bottom-six player, albeit an expendable one. There would be other teams around the NHL interested in acquiring him, though his 10-team no-trade list would stop a few from being able to do so. While Oilers fans shouldn’t expect a big return, they also shouldn’t be surprised to see a few teams that aren’t on Janmark’s no-trade list express interest. Here are four potential destinations for the veteran forward.
Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche still have the elite-level players such as Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar to keep them in consideration as a Stanley Cup contender, but there are some serious holes on this roster, which often come with teams that have numerous elite talents.
One area of the Avalanche that is particularly weak is their bottom-six forward group. They are going to need to add to that ahead of the 2025-26 season, and have just over $4 million in cap space to do so. That would give them more than enough space to acquire Janmark and likely wouldn’t cost much more than a mid-round draft pick to make it happen.
Washington Capitals
Whether the Washington Capitals were a legitimate contender in 2024-25 or if it was just smoke and mirrors remains to be seen. Either way, they had a fantastic season, and are all of a sudden being viewed as a threat out of the East. That said, they too have holes that need to be filled.
The Capitals lost some pieces in free agency this offseason, including Andrew Mangiapane, who inked a two-year deal with the Oilers. Adding Janmark wouldn’t replace Mangiapane in terms of offensive potential, but would give them a solid defensive forward who is a great asset on the penalty kill.
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils have yet to make any big moves that everyone had expected going into the offseason, but still have a roster that is certainly capable of going on a playoff run should they remain healthy. That said, adding another veteran or two who have gone on long runs would help this group, and Janmark fits that bill.
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What would make this move so intriguing for the Devils, who have nearly $7 million in cap space, is that it would allow Janmark and Connor Brown to play together. The two showed solid chemistry when on the same line together in Edmonton, but even more importantly, they were a very good penalty-killing duo.
Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild have a few questions pertaining to their bottom six right now, and have a ton of cap space at just over $10 million. The amount of room they have is quite impressive given the fact that most would already view them as a playoff-calibre team heading into the 2025-26 season.
The Wild do need to leave some money open to re-sign Kirill Kaprizov, but won’t need to leave open the entire $10 million they currently have. Bringing in Janmark would give them a reliable bottom-six option as they attempt to scratch and claw their way into the playoffs once again in 2025-26.
Oilers Will Miss Janmark
Despite mentioning earlier that Janmark is a replaceable player, it doesn’t mean the Oilers won’t miss him. He plays a very mistake-free game, which, while not always noticed or appreciated by fans, goes a long way with the coaching staff. There is a reason he’s had a lengthy NHL career to date, and should he be traded, whatever team ends up with him will have themselves a very useful player.