Could The Oilers Sign Mikko Rantanen?

EDMONTON -- Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives.

Hockey, like soap operas, can be unpredictable. The Edmonton Oilers know this all too well. For the Oilers, that came in the form of Stan Bowman becoming the GM of the organization in the summer.

Speaking of summer, one thing that was not on anyone's bingo card before October was the Colorado Avalanche trading superstar Mikko Rantanen.

But alas, here we are.

That has brought to light more speculation. Or, in this case, "informed speculation," on Rantanen's future with the Hurricanes. If he doesn't re-sign there, he may find himself in the Western Conference once again.

Andy Strickland highlighted some information on his "The Cam & Strick Podcast." In an episode published yesterday, he said the following.

"Can I tell you where I think he's going to sign?" Strickland asked his co-host. "This is not just speculation; it's informed speculation."

"You know where he's going to end up? Edmonton."

Do the Oilers need someone like Rantanen, and can they even sign a player like him? Let's take a look.

Do The Oilers Need Mikko Rantanen?

The short answer is yes. Even a team doing as well as the Oilers right now could use a game-breaking talent like Rantanen. But let's look at some numbers.

The Oilers' top three scorers are Leon Draisaitl, Connor McDavid, and Evan Bouchard. They have scored 75, 66, and 37 points, respectively. Having more players producing over a point per game would be beneficial.

Rantanen has 64 points in 50 games. If the Oilers were to add a player of his caliber, it would certainly bring stability to the revolving door that has been the Oilers' top-six forward group.

Additionally, Rantanen won a Stanley Cup with the Avalanche. And you can never have too many winners on your team.

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Can The Oilers afford Mikko Rantanen?

Now, the (several) million-dollar question is: Can the Oilers afford Rantanen? In a word, yes. Let's look at the numbers at our disposal on PuckPedia.

According to the salary cap site, the Oilers will have $11.61 million of cap space next year. However, that figure assumes the salary cap will be $88 million.

Several insiders have said the cap will increase to at least $95 million, but potentially more. Frank Seravalli said as much in his guest appearance on Oilers Now on Monday, January 27th. This would greatly increase the Oilers' chances of signing a player of Rantanen's caliber.

Assuming that the cap goes up to $95 million, the Oilers could have $18.61 million available to them in the summer.

However, here are the players that will need a new contract in the summer:

• Jeff Skinner

• Evan Bouchard

• Corey Perry

• Connor Brown

• Kasperi Kapanen

• Noah Philp

• Ty Emberson

• John Klingberg

It's fair to assume that the Oilers won't bring back Skinner. The big name here is obviously Bouchard. Is it possible that the Oilers can sign Rantanen AND Bouchard for less than $18 million? That would be a tough pill to swallow.

However, the Oilers could trade a few players to make room for signing Bouchard and Rantanen. Starting March 1st, Evander Kane's no-movement clause will become a modified no-trade clause. At that time, Kane would have a list of 16 teams to which he would approve a trade to.

The trade deadline is on March 7th.

The Oilers could and should sign Rantanen. The team must decide where to focus its assets for the future.

Do they keep Bouchard and Kane, or switch things up and keep Bouchard and Rantanen? If I were the Oilers GM, I know what I'd do.

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