The Edmonton Oilers have signed forward Curtis Lazar to a one-year deal worth $775,000. This move comes after Connor Brown signed a four-year, $12 million contract with the New Jersey Devils. The Oilers lost some offensive power with Brown and Corey Perry signing with other teams. Perry, 40, joined the Los Angeles Kings on a one-year, $2-million deal.
Lazar, 30, had five points (two goals, three assists) in 48 games for the New Jersey Devils last season. He was a first-round pick (No. 17) by the Ottawa Senators in the 2013 NHL Draft. Lazar has played 572 regular-season games with 125 points (47 goals, 78 assists).
Connor Brown, 31, had 13 goals and 17 assists in the regular season and five more goals in 20 playoff games. The Oilers also signed Andrew Mangiapane to a two-year contract worth $3.6 million a year. Mangiapane, 29, had 14 goals and 14 assists in 81 games for the Washington Capitals last season.
The Oilers have been busy during the free agency period, re-signing Kasperi Kapanen to a one-year extension and Noah Philp to a one-year, two-way extension. They also signed Riley Stillman to a two-year, two-way contract worth $775,000 and Matt Tomkins to a two-year contract.
Edmonton traded Viktor Arvidsson to the Boston Bruins for a fifth-round pick in the 2027 draft. Arvidsson, 32, had 15 goals and 12 assists in 67 regular-season games for Edmonton last season. This move gave the Oilers much-needed cap space after signing Evan Bouchard to a four-year, $42-million deal.
The Oilers are aiming to fill gaps in their roster and re-sign internal free agents while working with a limited budget. General Manager Stan Bowman faces pressure to keep the team competitive. Other Oilers signings include Trent Frederic to an eight-year extension.