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The Edmonton Oilers are in a difficult spot. They just came within a single goal of nearly completing a historic comeback in the Stanley Cup Final. In order to avoid the hangover of such a loss, they have to make the right moves. If they're to remain a top contender year in and year out, it's even more imperative to get it right.
That means making tough decisions on pending free agents. The Oilers have a few stars who are hitting free agency once the 2024 season ends. Those players may or may not be back, as that's part of the job general manager Stan Bowman was brought in to specifically do. Here's three players who could be out after this season.
Oilers who will enter free agency after 2024
3) Evan Bouchard
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The fact that Evan Bouchard was only on a two-year deal doesn't exactly bode well for his chances of being re-signed. He was a good player last year, far from someone who played their way off the team.
However, Bouchard arguably isn't as high on the priority list as others and could just be a victim of a hard choice that the Oilers and their front office have to make. His current AAV is just $3.9 million, though, so he might be able to come back cheaply.
2) Cody Ceci
Cody Ceci was a solid contributor to the Oilers' success last year, though he may end up being a casualty of the likely Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid extensions. He is currently on a four-year, $13 million contract. The AAV isn't that big, so the Oilers may bring him back, but they have a lot of interesting free-agency decisions coming up very soon. Ceci may be one of them after this season.
1) Leon Draisaitl
Fortunately for Oilers fans, Leon Draisaitl will probably not be on this list for long. The defenseman is expected to sign an extension very soon. Reports suggest that he will land an eight-year contract somewhere around $13 million AAV, a lower mark than his camp was initially reportedly asking for.
Draisaitl wants to stay an Oiler and he will presumably re-sign soon. If not, his contract does expire in 2025, so the upcoming year is his final contractual season for the time being.
