The Edmonton Oilers made a few roster moves on Friday and all signs point to one thing: Zach Hyman is coming back. As the team prepares for Saturday’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes, Edmonton announced that they have done so placed defenseman Troy Stecher on waivers and assigned rookie forward Isaac Howard to AHL Bakersfield.
The moves weren’t surprising, but they were necessary.
Stecher, 31, hit the wire after appearing in six games and averaging 13:37 per night. Howard, the 21-year-old rookie who has shown his qualities at the NHL level, was sent down after two goals and an assist in seventeen games. Because he’s waived and stuck in a fourth-line role, Howard was the easiest — and smartest — piece to move.
The real story here is what comes next.
Hyman’s return activates the dominoes
Zach Hyman is inching closer to LTIR’s return, with head coach Kris Knoblauch confirming he will likely be in action on Saturday. But activating Hyman means putting the pieces together. The Oilers had to shed about $2.2 million in cap space once Hyman and Mattias Janmark are fully activated.
Puck Pedia writes: “With #LetsGoOilers sending Howard down, it frees up $1.62M in cap space in LTIR: his $950K cap hit + his $667K average annual performance bonuses that reduced the team’s cap space because he wasn’t on the roster when they entered LTIR. They now have $3.2M in cap space in LTI and will lose $3.8M of space when Hyman is activated. Therefore, when Stecher is claimed on waivers or approvals and shipped, they still have $212,000 of space left.
Stecher was an unfortunate casualty, sitting eighth on the depth chart and struggling five-on-five. With Ty Emberson pushing past him and Alec Regula healthy again, the writing was on the wall.
Howard’s demotion wipes some money off the books while allowing him to play top minutes in Bakersfield – something he didn’t get in Edmonton. The problem comes if the Oilers want to call Howard again.
Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletics notes that Curtis Lazar, David Tomasek, Noah Philp and even Emberson could become cap casualties depending on how the Oilers maneuver the numbers.
One thing’s for sure: Things should be good for the Oilers for a while, but Friday’s moves could be the start of other trades.
Next: There’s a Pickard problem the Oilers can’t ignore anymore
#Oilers #making #major #moves #ahead #Hymans #return