Oilers want Evander Kane to lift his no-move clause

In just under 24 hours, the free agent period officially opens.

On the Canadian side, management is likely to be quiet, but that’s okay, we’ve got Ivan Demidov.

As for the other clubs, they’re trying to free up money to make acquisitions in July. Earlier in the day, Jack Campbell (Oilers), Nate Schmidt (Jets) and Adam Boqvist all had their contracts bought out by their respective teams.

In Edmonton, Campbell isn’t the only player whose contract is on the chopping block.

Evander Kane’s pact expires after the 2025-2026 season. The striker earns $5.125 million a year. And, as Elliotte Friedman mentioned, the Oilers want to lift his no-movement clause and either waive it or trade him.

Of course, Edmonton isn’t far from winning; Connor McDavid’s team was one game away from the Stanley Cup.

This competitiveness is largely due to Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. The latter will become a free agent in a year’s time, and I imagine the Oilers want to free up some money for the German. McDavid’s pact also comes to an end…

President of Hockey Operations Jeff Jackson would also like to retain the services of the nine players who become unrestricted free agents tomorrow and the two who become RFAs.