The Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers just finished a lengthy playoff campaign, but the NHL draft and free agency are days away, with both teams appearing in speculation.

Sam Reinhart and Leon Draisaitl

Sam Reinhart and Leon Draisaitl

Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

The Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers provided hockey fans with a Stanley Cup final for the ages, with the Panthers emerging victorious in a hard-fought seven-game series.

Neither club will have much time to recover from their long playoff run. With free agency beginning on July 1, their respective managements face some difficult decisions regarding several players.

 

Earlier this month, we noted Sam Reinhart and Brandon Montour are among 11 Panthers eligible to become UFAs.

ESPN.com’s Kristen Shilton believes it would be wise for the Panthers to keep Reinhart off the UFA market. She pointed out his 57-goal regular-season performance has likely increased his asking price, adding he won’t lack for suitors on the open market.

Shilton also believes retaining Montour should be a long-term goal. However, we indicated his future in Florida is less certain after management re-signed Gustav Forsling to an eight-year contract earlier this year.

Turning to the Oilers, Shilton’s colleague Ryan S. Clark observed they still have their core signed through next season. However, the cap-strapped club could be forced again to turn to players on team-friendly contracts.

Warren Foegele, Adam Henrique and Mattias Janmark are their notable UFAs. They could afford to bring back one of them but not all three.

Clark also wondered if they might seek an upgrade over Stuart Skinner. He played well in the Conference final and Stanley Cup final but was shaky in the earlier rounds.

Skinner’s performance through those final two rounds ensures his place as the Oilers’ starter next season. They could instead look into trying to shed Jack Campbell’s contract through trade or buyout.

Leon Draisaitl’s future will likely dominate the off-season news in Edmonton. The 28-year-old superstar is a year away from UFA eligibility and will seek a substantial raise over his current $8.5-million annual cap hit. We noted earlier this month there’s speculation that Draisaitl could seek around $14 million annually on his next contract.

The Athletic’s Chris Johnston reports Draisaitl will be the summer’s priority for Oilers management. Sources claim in that report they have no intention of letting him play out the final season of his contract and depart next summer as a free agent.