The Edmonton Oilers made a good move on July 7th as they signed veteran Jussi Jokinen. In adding the veteran left winger, the Oilers get a player that is only one-season removed from helpful production. He didn't do much in 2016/17, however in 2015/16 he had 60 points in 81 games for the Florida Panthers. The Oilers were able to get Jokinen at a budget price of $1.1M, meaning that if he can get a half-point per game then he would be more than worth it.

Jokinen signed to one year

The deal is just a one-year deal and that's likely at Jokinen's preference.

When you are coming off of a bad year, but are capable of the type of production that he is capable of, you wouldn't want to commit long term to low pay by NHL standards. You would prefer a contract where you could reprove yourself in a season and then re-enter free agency looking for something longer termed at that point. In joining Edmonton, the Oilers have acquired a player that doesn't hurt cap space, that might prove to be much more valuable than $1.1M, and that should be very motivated.

In regard to the latter point, it's not just that a one-year deal effectively keeps him in a contract year. There's also the point that Jokinen has yet to win a Stanley Cup. In joining one of the favorites to win the 2018 Stanley Cup, that could be on his mind.

It's a measure of those circumstances and Jokinen's potential that made him a very good add on at the cheap price that the Oilers were able to negotiate. The veteran presence certainly won't hurt the Oilers, but the big key with Jokinen is that he could actually play very well at this point in his career.

McDavid contract big Oiler news

At present with the franchise, the biggest recent news has to do with Connor McDavid's recent contract. He signed an eight-year deal worth $100M in a contract that will start in 2018/19. In terms of pending negotiations, what will become of restricted free agent Leon Draisaitl is another important matter for fans of the Oilers.

Furthermore, there is bound to be plenty of rumors over the remaining off-season about what will become of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, a forward that might be on the trade block.

The Oilers certainly are an interesting team to keep an eye on. They will be returning a 20 year MVP next season and, in fact, for the next nine. Although McDavid signed long term at big money, that contract doesn't kick in until 2018/19. At present, they have cap space to work with in the immediately upcoming season and that might serve to make them contenders sooner than later.
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