Edmonton Oilers’ 3 Worst Contracts for 2026-27 – The Hockey Writers – Edmonton Oilers

The Edmonton Oilers have had a busy offseason thus far. They have been strapped against the salary cap for many years. But they finally have salary cap flexibility after trading defenceman Darnell Nurse and his entire $9.25 million cap hit for the next four seasons. Nurse had the worst contract on the team, and one of the worst contracts in the league the moment he inked that deal in Aug. 2021.

General manager (GM) Stan Bowman has made some good deals to shed salary, like trading Nurse, but he still has some bad contracts on the books. While former GM Ken Holland signed the Nurse deal, these next three contracts were Bowman’s doing, either by signing them himself or acquiring a bad contract via trade. With that said, here are the Oilers’ three worst contracts heading into the 2026-27 season.

Trent Frederic ($3.85 Million)

Trent Frederic was among the worst contracts last season, and he remains in the top three. He has plateaued as a fourth-line winger. While that’s not necessarily a bad thing, he’s overpaid for what he produces. On top of his $3.85 million cap hit, he’s also entering his second season of an eight-year deal. Bottom-six players are easily replaceable and should not be getting long-term contracts, especially with full no-movement clauses.

Frederic has struggled to find a role on this team. He started the 2025-26 campaign on the top line with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. That experiment failed immediately, and he was moved down. He had just four goals and seven points in 74 games last season, averaging 11:02 per game. He doesn’t kill penalties, and he wasn’t producing at 5-on-5. As a result, he was healthy scratched for Edmonton’s final two playoff games.

He has the potential to be an effective fourth-line player, and hopefully new head coach Mike Babcock can give him a role, which should improve his play. Either way, his salary is still too high for a fourth-liner, and the term makes it even worse.

Jake Walman ($7 Million)

Jake Walman is entering the first season of a seven-year, $49 million deal, with a cap hit of $7 million. The term on this contract is incredibly concerning, given his injury history. The 30-year-old has yet to play over 65 games in a season. He only played 53 games last season, and when he did play, he struggled immensely. Injuries clearly limited his ability, and he wasn’t the same upon his return. He was a great addition when he was acquired at the 2025 Trade Deadline. However, he regressed last season before his big extension even kicked in. That’s not a good sign.

Walman is a solid offensive player. He recorded eight goals and 20 points last season, averaging 18:45 of ice time. Only two of his points were on the power play, and he also added two shorthanded goals. Unfortunately, he was a minus-17. That was the worst plus/minus among defencemen, and the second-worst on the team, only behind Andrew Mangiapane, who was traded at the deadline.

Walman was demoted to the third pair last season, but he will likely start this campaign on the second pair, since Nurse was traded. Without Nurse, Walman needs to take on a bigger role and get elevated minutes. He’s getting second-pairing money, so now it’s time to live up to that contract. If he struggles again, this contract will age horribly. Plus, he will be 37 at the conclusion of this deal. He definitely needs a bounce-back.

Tristan Jarry ($5.375 Million)

In December, the Oilers acquired Tristan Jarry and Sam Poulin from the Pittsburgh Penguins for Stuart Skinner, Brett Kulak and a 2029 second-round pick. That was an awful deal from the get-go, and it didn’t improve the goaltending. Edmonton acquired a more expensive goalie and gave up quality assets to do so.

Jarry was awful since joining Edmonton, posting a 3.86 goals-against average (GAA) and a putrid .858 save percentage (SV%) in 19 games. The 31-year-old missed one month with a lower-body injury before struggling mightily upon his return. He eventually lost the crease to Connor Ingram. Unfortunately, he still has two more seasons on his deal, with a $5.375 million cap hit.

With his inconsistencies, the Oilers brought in two new goalies to battle for the starting job. They acquired Devon Levi from the Buffalo Sabres, and signed Frederik Andersen to a one-year deal. The Oilers will likely utilize a three-goalie system to start the season, but if Jarry plays poorly, he could easily find himself on waivers. That’s not ideal considering the Oilers would save just $1.15 million on the salary cap. The Oilers would have a lot of dead money if Jarry clears waivers and is in the American Hockey League (AHL). This is a horrendous contract, especially if he’s the third goalie on the depth chart.

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