The Edmonton Oilers had a great run in the 2025 postseason, taking down some tough competition in the Western Conference. They beat the LA Kings in six games, the Vegas Golden Knights in five, and the Dallas Stars in five as well. Then, they were all set for a rematch with the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final. Even with that strong performance, they came up short once more, losing the series 4-2 and dropping Game 6 with a solid 5-1 score, as Florida’s offense and goaltending were just too much to handle.
Edmonton had its moments, like those exciting comebacks in Games 1 and 4, but overall, the Panthers really took charge throughout the series. They dominated the pace, especially in the later games, outscoring the Oilers 16-4 in those final four matchups. Watching their team falter once again on hockey’s grandest stage was emotionally taxing, as Mattias Ekholm’s and Connor McDavid’s wives, Ida Bjornstad and Lauren Kyle, respectively, claimed.
So, after the Oilers made it to the Stanley Cup Final, the NHL decided to look into how Edmonton used Long-Term Injured Reserve (LTIR) for Evander Kane. He missed the whole regular season because of several surgeries, but he made his comeback for Game 2 of the first-round playoff series, which also helped with the LTIR cap relief. The league wanted thorough medical reports and could look at retroactive fines since this made them wonder whether the club followed the CBA to the letter or the spirit.
To fix this and avoid such cap-time anomalies in the future, the NHL is trying to get a clause into the new CBA that says all playoff lineups must be entirely salary-cap compliant before they play. On X, NHL Rumor Report shared: “Elliotte Friedman: In the new CBA they may make it so your playoff lineup that goes on the ice must be cap compliant; you can have whatever you want on your roster but your actual lineup must be under the cap – SN 590.”
Basically, teams can have bigger rosters during the offseason, but the 20 players who actually hit the ice still have to stay within the salary cap limits. This change would put an end to the LTIR workaround that let teams stash players for the whole year and then bring them back—shifting us towards a playoff setup where the rosters really show a commitment to managing the salary cap properly.
Elliotte Friedman: In the new CBA they may make it so your playoff lineup that goes on the ice must be cap compliant; you can have whatever you want on your roster but your actual lineup must be under the cap – SN 590
— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) June 20, 2025
For Edmonton, which has followed the LTIR rules closely and avoided any gray areas, this change takes away any edge from teams that take advantage of the loophole. In general, it makes the postseason more even, giving a nod to smart strategies and ensuring fairness among the playoff teams. On top of that, the Oilers have bigger problems to worry about after their loss in the Stanley Cup Final.
Big deals are waiting for the Edmonton Oilers
David Pagnotta, the Editor-in-Chief of The Fourth Period, mentioned that Edmonton and Trent Frederic’s camp have decided to hit the pause button on discussions until after the Finals, which could be happening any time now. Evan Bouchard, the defenseman, is on the verge of scoring a big deal — one that’s probably going to exceed eight figures as he’s about to secure a long-term payday.
It seems like, despite some cap restrictions, Bouchard is probably going to land in the $10M range or maybe even a bit higher. Teams could be considering giving out contracts depending on his performance and the rising salary cap. So, the big topic that everyone’s talking about is Connor McDavid, especially since he’ll be eligible for an extension on July 1.
It looks like the management in Edmonton isn’t too concerned about getting that deal signed, even though it’s a pretty significant one. Pagnotta also mentions that we should see all three contracts—Frederic, Bouchard, and McDavid—wrapped up pretty soon after June.
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