2. How will the new additions fit in with the Oilers?
Edmonton already had one of the best forward groups in the NHL led by Connor McDavid and Draisaitl, as well as Zach Hymanwho scored 54 goals last season, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Evander Kane And Adam HenriqueOilers added forwards Viktor Arvidsson And Jeff Skinner to the group, giving them two additional offensive threats.
Arvidsson was limited to 18 games last season due to injury but is healthy and expected to play alongside Draisaitl, according to Oilers CEO and president Jeff Jackson. Arvidsson, 31, had 59 points (26 goals, 33 assists) in 77 games for the Los Angeles Kings in 2022-23. He had four seasons with 26 or more goals, scoring 31, 29 and 34, respectively, with the Nashville Predators from 2016-17 to 2018-19.
“It’s a huge opportunity for me to play with such a great player (Draisaitl), and I think the team is really well built,” Arvidsson said on July 1. “They have something going and they felt like they were really close (last year), and hopefully I can help the team go even further.”
Skinner is entering his 15th NHL season. He had 46 points (24 goals, 22 assists) in 74 games with the Buffalo Sabres last season, but the final three seasons of an eight-year, $72 million contract ($9 million per year average) were bought out June 30.
The 32-year-old has yet to make the Stanley Cup playoffs. He signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the Oilers in hopes of ending his drought.
“I always want to help the team and produce,” Skinner said on July 1. “My role in the past has always been to produce offensively. Obviously, there’s guys in Edmonton that do that pretty well, so if I can add something to that mix and help complement those guys, it would be good for everybody. I think my mindset and my goal is to fit in and be a piece of the puzzle and bring the things that I do well to the team, and hopefully we can all have some success.”
