From free agents to salary cap, Oilers face an offseason puzzle

After a season of highs and lows, the Oilers’ season ended with a sobering sweep at the hands of the Avalanche. Right away, the Oilers are fielding tough questions about free agency, goaltending, the salary cap, and even their head coaching situation.

And, truly, the Oilers face daunting questions with free agency and salary cap management.

Overall, it’s a true test of whether Oilers GM Ken Holland is still Hall of Fame material as a “builder.”

Could, and should, the Oilers bring back free agents such as Evander Kane and Jesse Puljujarvi? Is Jay Woodcroft the right choice to remain as Oilers head coach?

Searching for answers about the Oilers’ salary cap and free agent questions won’t be as painful as dominating playoff opponents despite a high-ankle sprain. Still, it won’t be easy, either.

Like an overmatched defenseman trying to keep up with Connor McDavid, let’s do our best to sort this out.

The Oilers’ salary cap management is so inefficient, it can make you feel queasy. It’s like watching that viral video where a (cruel) person cuts up a cake in the least satisfying way possible.

For all the talk about Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl eating up so much of the Oilers’ salary cap, it’s really the waste around them that’s disconcerting. Next season, Darnell Nurse, Duncan Keith, Tyson Barrie, and Cody Ceci cost more (about $22.538 million) in cap space than Draisaitl and McDavid ($21M).

That’s where you start cutting up the cake in all the wrong ways.

Look at tweets like these, and you’ll picture enough doom to keep the fires of Mordor burning.

The #LetsGoOilers enter the off-season with 4 draft picks (1st, 5th, 6th and 7th) and $7,130,205 in projected cap space, with a projected roster of 15 (8F-6D-1G)

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