BREAKING NEWS: Oilers to lose free agents

The Edmonton Oilers’ third line was explosive, resilient, and relentless during their near-historic playoff run, but it might be dismantled soon.Despite the trio of Mattias Janmark, Adam Henrique, and Connor Brown being highly effective, at least parts of it are likely to break up on July 1, as all three players are pending free agents.

“We’ve got a lot of them,” head coach Kris Knoblauch said during Wednesday’s exit interviews at Rogers Place, just 48 hours after losing Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. “I’d like each and every one of them back. Everyone made a huge contribution, probably highlighted by our newfound third line. Those three really had a lot of chemistry. Outstanding on the penalty kill.

“They’ll be sought after. I know they’re all very happy to be here in Edmonton but it’s difficult bringing them back, with contracts and what somebody else is offering. They can only play for so many years and so many contracts, so they have to think about what’s best for them. But I know they really liked it here and hopefully we can bring everybody back, and not just that third line. All the guys that are unrestricted, we want to bring back.”

However, this could be challenging for a management team that also needs to extend a major contract like Leon Draisaitl’s this off-season.

Losing the chemistry of their bottom-six players could be a significant blow to the Oilers’ star-studded roster, led by two of the best active players in the world. The third line played a crucial role in secondary scoring and was instrumental in Edmonton’s league-leading penalty kill during the playoffs.

While they might not have singlehandedly carried the team, they were highly effective, especially in short-handed situations. In Edmonton’s first Stanley Cup Final appearance in 18 years, this trio significantly contributed to the Oilers’ offense after a rough start.

A standout performance was their 8-1 win over the Florida Panthers in Game 4, following a 3-0 deficit in the series. Janmark’s shorthanded goal jumpstarted the comeback, and he also scored Edmonton’s lone goal in Game 7.

Janmark, who had a challenging season with 12 points in 71 regular-season games, salvaged his reputation in the playoffs with eight points in 25 games. “Free agency’s coming up here quick, so I’m going to have to start thinking about it a little. But yeah, you want to win. It’s always tough to leave a team, players that you feel like you can win with,” Janmark said.

Brown, recovering from a knee injury, contributed 12 points in 71 regular-season games and six points in 19 playoff games. His impact was most felt on the power play, which was top-ranked in the playoffs.

“Tactically, I have some ideas,” Brown said about their success. “I think Stuey (assistant coach Mark Stuart) did an incredible job of empowering us. I came from a really good penalty kill in Ottawa, we had a great penalty kill under Babs (Mike Babcock in Toronto) and D.J. Smith, both really good penalty kill coaches.”

Henrique, acquired at the trade deadline, showed versatility by playing anywhere in the lineup, earning nine points in 22 games and seven points in 17 playoff games. “Coming together as a line was great, I think we had some instant chemistry,” he said. “Those two guys work extremely hard and I found it very easy to play with them.”

Re-signing this effective third line will be challenging, but their performance was a crucial part of the Oilers’ playoff success.

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