Edmonton Oilers with last ditch plan to aquire most valuable asset of all, insider says with about $1.35 to $1.85 million in additional space

Stauffer’s talking about $1.35 to $1.85 million in additional space. But where does that come from?

One option would be trading veteran Adam Henrique and his $3 million cap hit. If replaced by a $1 million player, the Oilers would open up an extra $2 million. But Henrique still has plenty left in the tank — there’s even chatter about him getting a look on McDavid’s wing — so that move wouldn’t come lightly.

A buyout is also possible. Buying out Henrique would save $2 million this year, while leaving a $1 million penalty on the books for 2026–27.

Then there’s Mattias Janmark, who carries a $1.45 million cap hit through next season. If the Oilers moved him and replaced him with someone on a league-minimum contract (like Philp or Curtis Lazar), they’d bank about $630,000. Janmark has a 10-team no-trade list, which complicates things, but he’s still a serviceable checker and penalty killer. That said, his cap hit might just be more valuable than his ice time if Edmonton’s priority is flexibility for a major upgrade in 2026.

The Bigger Picture

No one outside the front office — and maybe even inside it — knows exactly how this cap puzzle gets solved. But the goal is clear: build flexibility now to allow for a massive swing at the deadline.

Because if the Oilers want to take a real shot at the Stanley Cup in 2026, they’ll need more than a solid core — they’ll need the cap space to add firepower when the moment is right.