Oilers Sign PTO Deals With F Jake Virtanen and D Jason Demers

It sounded like the Edmonton Oilers were interested in Jake Virtanen, then reports were the player was looking at other options. On Monday, the team did announce that they had signed the forward to a PTO offer and also inked veteran defenseman Jason Demers to a tryout deal. The news comes as a bit of a surprise for Oilers fans considering the back-and-forth reports, and the production Virtanen had last season in the KHL.

The #Oilers have signed defenceman Jason Demers & forward Jake Virtanen to professional tryout agreements (PTOs). https://t.co/lm3ZctpYao

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) September 19, 2022

Early responses from media and fans are that these are just PTO deals. There is no guarantee that either makes the team. In fact, it seems more likely that neither does, considering the Oilers’ cap situation and their depth at each position. That said, there is always a chance if one or both players perform well in camp and preseason that Edmonton might take a closer look.

Other responses hint that it doesn’t really matter that these are PTOs. Particularly, in the case of Virtanen, reactions aren’t entirely favorable. Dom Luszczyszyn writes, “Jake Virtanen is the perfect player if you want your team to be simultaneously worse and less likable.” Mark Spector of Sportsnet posted a thread on Twitter about how the red flags will certainly be there, even if Virtanen was found not guilty of sexual assault charges by a jury this past year.

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There is one of two things (maybe both) going on here. First, the Oilers either need bodies in camp to ensure they are not overworking their NHL regulars during a very busy training camp games schedule that will see the team play five games in eight days (there are rules about how many vets dress for each game). Second, the Oilers see something in Virtanen and Demers that other teams might not. Perhaps they believe he’s got game left in him if placed in the right situation.

There is also an outside chance that any future deal that might exist for Virtanen speaks volumes about where the Oilers might be headed with Jesse Puljujarvi and a possible trade to get the team back under the salary cap ceiling.

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