Oilers Almost Lose Adam Henrique to Canadian Rival, Report Claims – Hockey Writers – Edmonton Oilers

The Edmonton Oilers were able to keep Adam Henrique this summer on a two-year extension after he was acquired at the 2024 trade deadline along with Sam Carrick, who opted to join the New York Rangers this summer. With an average annual salary of $3 million, Oilers fans were excited to get Henrique back after a strong performance during the postseason.

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His veteran leadership was also sought after by other teams around the NHL, but Henrique turned down more money to return to the Oilers. As his career draws to a close, he will look to make a run for his first Stanley Cup. According to Kurt Leavins of the Edmonton Journal, another team that missed Henrique but offered him more money was the Winnipeg Jets.

“My contact in Winnipeg with knowledge of the negotiations says Adam Henrique turned down a 2-year, $3.5m contract from the Winnipeg Jets in free agency this summer. Instead, he opted for the Oilers on a 2-year, $3m deal to stay in Edmonton. While $500k may not seem like a lot in the world of $88m, that's almost two-thirds of a low-paid player.”

source: “When you add Top-4 D to Edmonton Oilers good things come to those who wait: 9 Things” – Edmonton Journal – Kurt Leavins – 09/01/2024

Players taking a pay cut to stay with the Oilers was thought to be an impossibility. The extremely cold weather combined with fans who can't pick when their team is losing, and the difficult media to deal with throughout the league proved to be unattractive to many players for a while. However, after last season's Stanley Cup Final appearance where they were just one game away from winning their first championship since 1990, some players seem to believe that Edmonton is the place to be.

Henrique Has a Better Chance with the Oilers than the Jets

The Jets will be fighting for the Stanley Cup this season and could use Henrique's experience and deadline day experience to help them get closer to their big goal, but they still don't have a team that will be considered a favorite over the Oilers. With Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, and Evan Bouchard in their prime and looking to get it back on track, they will be a tough team to beat this season. The forward depth of the Oilers is among the strongest in the NHL, their goaltending is strong, and their defensive depth is good enough to make another deep push, thus it is clear why Henrique chose the Oilers over anyone else.

Henrique will have a better chance of winning a Stanley Cup with the Oilers than he does with the Jets. Although other teams may put more money on the table to bring him, it is clear that the main thing for him as he is older is to win the title, rather than making a lot of money. It probably would have taken more money to convince Henrique to leave the Oilers, given how well he fit in the team's bottom six and how much his fans loved him.

At the end of the day, the Oilers were able to keep Henrique on a significant contract for two more seasons. The Oilers made the right moves this summer and are set to make another deep push into the postseason with their acquisitions, and Henrique will be a big part of it. His versatility remains solid despite being an aging veteran, and the Oilers will be able to use him in any part of the lineup if they run into injury problems this season, or if they want to shake things up.