The Edmonton Oilers will guarantee entertainment, if nothing else. In the days leading up to their season opener against the Calgary Flames, all the talk was about when (and if) Connor McDavid would sign a new contract.
When the main man himself signed a cut-price $12.5 million-a-year deal to stay in Edmonton for another two years beyond this season, they quickly inked Jake Walman (seven years, $49M) and Mattias Ekholm (three years, $12M) to extensions, keeping the band together.
And if that wasn’t enough, the Oilers decided they weren’t done just yet.
Who Did The Oilers Sign On Day 1 Of The New Season?
Curiously, as the puck dropped on the new season, Jack Roslovic was not on any opening day roster.
Despite tallying 22 goals and 17 assists for 39 points (along with a goal and three assists in nine playoff games), Roslovic was not signed by any contending team to start the season. While there was interest from the Toronto Maple Leafs in light of Mitch Marner heading to Vegas, that deal never came to fruition.
But with McDavid sending the franchise a clear message with his bargain two-year extension, Edmonton decided the time was ripe to bring in some backup.
So in came Roslovic, who matched a career high with his 22 goals last season with the Carolina Hurricanes. Those 22 goals were good enough for third among Carolina forwards despite being in a bottom six role, while the 39 points he registered ranked sixth in the team.
While the Oilers have brought Roslovic on board, his contract can’t be registered and made official until they make a roster move.
The @EdmontonOilers GM Stan Bowman has now added 2 players…
Goaltender Connor Ingram and now Jack Roslovic without giving up an asset!
Roslovic is a 2-time 20+ goal scorer.
He led Carolina in 5v5 scoring last season with 19 goals and 34 points. https://t.co/WmavlL3J9Z— Bob Stauffer (@Bob_Stauffer) October 9, 2025
Per PuckPedia, Roslovic signed a one-year, $1.5M contract. Edmonton now has $326,000 in cap space left in Long-Term Injury Reserve (LTIR) with 23 active personnel over and above Roslovic, Mattias Janmark (injury reserve), and Zach Hyman (LTIR).
The Oilers will reportedly need to clear $2.8 million in cap space to activate Hyman from LTIR.
Interestingly, the Roslovic signing means Oilers GM Stan Bowman has now made two moves in succession on the margins without giving up an asset. Including the Connor Ingram trade and the move for Roslovic, the Oilers kept their powder dry.
However, bringing Roslovic on board will have to serve as a balm, given the Oilers dropped the first game of the season for the third year in a row in what was ultimately a thrilling season opener.
While they raced out of the blocks to beat up on the Flames with a 3-0 lead, Calgary fought until the bitter end, forcing the game into overtime.
When overtime didn’t yield a winner, Flames veteran Nazem Kadri kept his nerves as Calgary came out on top in an eight-round shootout, which, incidentally, is the longest in NHL history for a season-opener.
The Oilers will next face the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday, Oct. 11 at Rogers Place.