Oilers Might Have to Rethink Timing on Big-Ticket Contracts

The recently agreed-upon NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) seemingly created a leverage point for the Edmonton Oilers when it came to a couple of their important contract renegotiations. But, according to James Mirtle of The Athletic, the new CBA technically doesn’t take effect until September 2026.

---

Mirtle writes:

“I checked in with some teams on this and one thing they said to keep in mind is that barring a negotiated change, the newly-agreed-to CBA actually doesn’t take effect until September 2026, meaning there is still plenty of time for teams to sign players to eight-year deals.”

This was phrased in a way that makes it sound like good news for most NHL clubs. That’s accurate. However, that also means players don’t have to rush into eight-year contracts right away.

While it may not mean much for some players, for others, these few months can mean the difference of a few million dollars.

How Does the Date of the New CBA Change Oilers Contract Talks?

For the Oilers, if the new CBA kicks in on July 1 (which was rumored), it doesn’t allow players like Jake Walman, Stuart Skinner, and Vasily Podkolzin to test the free agency market after the 2025-26 season without taking a big risk. Each is approaching a contract milestone where an eight-year deal would have been attractive, particularly if the alternative is a maximum six-year extension with a new team.

Under the old timeline, if the Oilers were offering eight years and some contract certainty, each was potentially leaving two seasons on the table. None of the three players have ever had big, long-term contracts in the NHL. Waiving an eight-year deal in front of them might have been hard to resist. And, if none of these three had stellar 2025-26 seasons, the money they might get offered, even as the salary cap rises, might have been far less than the Oilers were guaranteeing if each locked in sooner than later.

Now, if the new CBA changes come into effect in September, those players can wait, see how the 2025–26 season unfolds, and even test the free-agent market on July 1, 2026, without losing eligibility for a long-term contract.

For someone like Walman, if he explodes offensively and becomes a reliable two-way defenseman and point producer, he could get six years at $7 or $8 million, versus the eight years at $6, the Oilers might have dangled. He stands to lose little, if anything, by waiting.

The Oilers Lose Leverage If Players Are Determined to Test the Market

Perhaps none of this matters. It could be that all three players want to stay and have no desire to test free agency, even if they have big seasons. That would be the good news for the Oilers.

The potentially problematic news comes if these players produce and wind up in high demand when the market opens and any team can make a pitch. A stronger free-agent market means the Oilers might have to offer higher AAVs to match. If they choose not to, there could be another exodus of players leaving like they did this off-season.

For Edmonton, the stakes are significant. Signing a player early to an eight-year deal could mean getting them below market value, but holding off risks the player leveraging performance to command more later.

Next: The Twist Behind McDavid’s Expected Team-Friendly Extension