The Edmonton Oilers and Adam Larsson were, at one time, considered very close to getting a contract extension done. Believed to have a deal essentially, ‘in the bag’, there’s been chatter lately that an extension isn’t quite as close as some would like and that the defenseman is planning on testing the free agent waters.
Larsson said during his season exit media avail that he loved being an Oiler. Many assumed this would be an easy contract to get done. But, as it becomes clear that other teams might be interested, his signing a new deal in Edmonton isn’t exactly a slam dunk. The latest report comes from TSN’s Ryan Rishaug who notes, “Adam Larsson is considering the Oilers most recent offer, as negotiations between the two sides continue. Lots of activity in recent days on this, and several contract options are still in play.”
Related: Holland Argues He Couldn’t “Squeeze” Blackhawks in Keith Trade
When GM Ken Holland spoke with the media after acquiring Duncan Keith from the Chicago Blackhawks, he was asked about the status of contract talks with Larsson. He said, “I’m not pretty confident, but I’m not not confident.” He added:
“I’ve talked lots to J.P. Barry and last week Dave Tippett and myself got on a call with J.P. and Adam and his Swedish agent Peter Warner and told him how we want him back and how important he is to the team. I also kind of tipped him off that I was having conversations with Stan Bowman and there was a possibility (the Keith trade) would happen. Certainly Tipp said to Adam that if the deal goes through he certainly saw Adam and Duncan Keith being a good second pair for us.”
It’s tough to know if the Oilers simply aren’t tipping their hand and waiting for the NHL Expansion Draft to roll on by, or they truly don’t know what Larsson is planning to do. Holland noted he’s got a certain amount of money set aside on the cap for Larsson, hinted that he’s relayed to the defenseman’s camp that the Oilers would like him back, and now it’s simply a waiting game.
Holland did say that his acquisition of Keith should have no impact on his ability to get a Larsson deal done because the cap space is there.
One of the interesting developments since the Keith trade is that Larsson really can’t sign with Edmonton until after the draft, even if he were to come back to the Oilers and say he wanted to. Because the Oilers will protect Darnell Nurse, Ethan Bear and Keith, having Larsson under contract before the draft would throw a wrench into their protection plans. It would likely force the team to go the eight-skater protection route and they would risk losing a player like Kailer Yamamoto.
What If Larsson Doesn’t Re-Sign?
If Larsson elects to go to a team like the Philadelphia Flyers — there is rumored to be interest there — the Oilers are up against it on the right side of their blue line. They could always look at bringing Tyson Barrie back again, but he’s certainly not a fill in for Larsson who plays an entirely different style of game. Without Barrie, the Oilers have Evan Bouchard and Ethan Bear.
Larsson’s departure would create a massive hole on the right side and it’s not likely the Oilers could go after a player like Dougie Hamilton, especially after using $5.5 million to trade for Keith.
For the Oilers sake, one can only hope Keith has called up Larsson and said he’s excited about the chance to play with him next season and would love to see him sign again. The two could make for a very steady pairing in the Oilers top-four.
Next: Blackhawks Connected to Marc-Andre Fleury After Keith Trade
MICHAEL C ZACK
July 14, 2021 at 10:20 am
When, oh when, are we ever going to see Evan Bouchard?
Starting to worry.