Oilers' Kulak Will Have A Decision To Make On Future

The Edmonton Oilers are working on some extensions this summer before the action gets going now that free agency has died down and not many trades are being made. Edmonton doesn't have much cap space to work with for this coming season, but will have a number of key players becoming UFAs if nothing is done.

The defense is what is going to get interesting. While Bob Stauffer said that he thinks Jake Walman and Mattias Ekholm are going to sign extensions, along with a few other players, Brett Kulak "will probably have a decision to make."

Kulak is also heading into the final year of his deal with a $2.75 million AAV cap hit. That is very reasonable, even though he has outplayed that while being a member of the Oilers. The decision that Stauffer is likely referring to is that if Kulak wants to stay in Edmonton, he will have to take less money. Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard's contracts kick in next season, Darnell Nurse's contract is currently unmovable, and it seems like Walman and Ekholm are more of a priority to keep around at a number they would agree on first. Walman is going to get a pay bump, while Ekholm's cap hit will be reduced, as will his playing time.

Although Kulak is seen as a third pairing defenseman, he has been more than that for the Oilers. The 31-year-old is the first to step up and move into the top-6 when someone is missing from the lineup. He averaged 20:32 of ice time last season, doesn't get power-play time, and was tied with Nurse for fourth on the team in penalty killing time.

Kulak plays important minutes, but he also has yet to win a Stanley Cup. The Oilers don't have much cap space to offer to him and will likely choose to go a younger route if he isn't willing to take a decent pay cut. He will get paid if he hits free agency, but with a less likely chance of going on another few deep playoff runs and potentially winning.