With a handful of free agents to re-sign next year, including Patrick Maroon, Darnell Nurse, Matthew Benning, Mark Letestu and a few other considerable names, Edmonton will need to afford to hold onto those pieces. And looking at the cap hit for next season, they’ll have to sacrifice some pieces to keep others.
In the end, there is one contract on the roster that is costing Edmonton too much money. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who has yet to completely stun the league, is making $6 million per year. With his performance lacklustre, and his contract taking up significant salary cap space, he is on thin ice heading into this season.