Hopes were high for the Edmonton Oilers, especially after letting Evander Kane land with the Vancouver Canucks to start a minor shakeup after losing in the 2025 Stanley Cup Final.
Those hopes proved to be in vain as they were handed an early double blow at the dawn of Day 1 of free agency — and those blows came in quick succession.
First, the Oilers missed out on forward Brock Boeser, who signed a seven-year, $50.75 million contract to stay put in Vancouver. And if that wasn’t enough, minutes after the news of Boeser’s mammoth new deal came to light, longtime NHL insider Bob McKenzie reported that Corey Perry is on course to sign with the Los Angeles Kings.
Oilers’ Disaster Start to Free Agency in Stark Contrast to Panthers’ Situation
It was common knowledge that the Oilers were playing with limited cap flexibility. Despite that fact, Edmonton was expected to make a play for Boeser, who had no shortage of suitors in free agency. That list reportedly included teams like the Boston Bruins, Ottawa Senators, and San Jose Sharks.
Instead, Boeser, who was drafted 23rd overall by the Canucks in 2015, decided to re-sign with the franchise and will now have the opportunity to suit up on the ice alongside former Oilers star Evander Kane.
Corey Perry finalizing a deal with #LAKings, per the legend @TSNBobMcKenzie
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) July 1, 2025
Perry’s exit will also be felt in Edmonton, Canada. Perry rejuvenated this Oilers team when they were staring down the barrel in the Stanley Cup Final. En route to the Final, the 40-year-old winger turned back the years, scoring 10 goals in the postseason — his highest tally since the 2015 playoffs.
However, when all was said and done, lifting the Stanley Cup eluded “The Worm.” This year’s loss means Perry has lost in the Final in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024, and 2025. He’s also the first NHL player to lose four Finals with four different teams.
The Panthers, meanwhile, are on a roll.
After Sam Bennett wasted no time in signing an eight-year, $64 million deal, Panthers general manager Bill Zito raced against time on the eve of free agency to have Aaron Ekblad commit his future to the franchise in an eight-year, $48,800,000 deal, while Brad Marchand also agreed to a six-year, $32,000,000 deal.
Those three moves took the Panthers’ total up to $144.8 million on their top three unrestricted free agents. Zito, however, played down his role in getting Bennett, Marchand, and Ekblad to stay in tax-free Florida.
“I didn’t. It was those guys. There’s no gray area whatsoever,” Zito said. “It’s those guys wanting to be part of something they created.”
While the Oilers will be left licking their wounds, it appears their rivals, Florida, already have their sights set on a third straight season ending in glory.
