Oilers Might Blow Their Free Agency Money on Panthers Players

The Edmonton Oilers have goaltending uncertainty and depth needs, while both A.J. Greer and Sergei Bobrovsky are pending unrestricted free agents from the Florida Panthers. If both test the market, which it sounds like it’s highly probable they do, would the Oilers take a swing and potentially spend most of their available salary cap money on two players?

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A.J. Greer (LW, Age 29)

A.J. Greer had a strong 2025-26 season with the Panthers, scoring a career high in goals (17), points (32). He’s a physical, forechecking depth winger who plays a gritty bottom-six role. The Oilers need someone like that, a player who can make an impact in their bottom six and maybe moonlight in the top six in the event of injury.

He’s coming off a cheap deal ($850k cap hit) and while he’s going to get a significant bump in salary, it may likely remain a modest cap hit compared to some of the pending UFAs who could ask for big money.

The Oilers know this player well. He was a physical presence against Edmonton in the recent Stanley Cup Finals. They know what he can do. Adding him to a group that includes Trent Frederic and Colton Dach might only increase their energy levels, but bring the Oilers up the standings in terms of team hits and secondary scoring.

Sergei Bobrovsky (G, Age 37)

There aren’t a ton of goaltending options available on the open market, and veteran goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky is one of the few with a big pedigree (multiple Vezinas, Stanley Cups with Florida). He’s been outstanding in the playoffs against the Oilers in recent years.

He’s on an expiring deal that saw him make $10 million per season. He’ll not got anything close to that, but he’s trying to maximize his earnings on what might be his last contract in the NHL. On a shorter-term deal in free agency, the Oilers might be willing to take a chance that he’s got a bit more left in the tank.

Edmonton’s goaltending has been a revolving door (Stuart Skinner trade, Tristan Jarry, Connor Ingram, etc.). Bobrovsky is arguably better than all of them, even at his advanced age.

Why This Could Happen (“Blow Their Money”)

It would be a risk for the Oilers to spend in the neighborhood of $7-$10 million on these two players. They only have $14.9 million in cap space to work with and a desire to re-sign Connor Murphy and Jason Dickinson. Still, they’ve struggled to find consistent goaltending to support Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and others, while also hitting and missing on several feeble attempts to fix their goaltending.

A veteran like Bobrovsky could provide playoff-proven stability for 1–2 years. Greer would add cheap physicality to the bottom six. Spending big on an aging goalie and a depth forward is still a risk.

It’s a real possibility that Bobrovsky, 37, declines. High mileage and age behind a leaky defense is not a great combination. It’s also possible that Greer’s 17 goals were a one-off. He’s not a game-changer, and “blowing money” on him if Edmonton gets caught in a bidding war could leave them stuck with a tough contract to move.

The biggest mistakes in the NHL are made on July 1. Would this be two of them for the Oilers? Or, are they exactly the kind of pieces Edmonton needs?

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