Oilers reportedly closing in on blockbuster deal to acquire breakout Avalanche star

Kiviranta remains unsigned heading into the upcoming NHL season, but plenty of teams have shown interest in the talented winger.

Yardbarker reports that the free agency frenzy has passed, and the Edmonton Oilers took the opportunity to make several key moves to strengthen their roster. They added valuable veteran presence and depth with the signings of Andrew Mangiapane and Curtis Lazar, while also injecting youth into their forward group by bringing in Isaac Howard.

Enter Joel Kiviranta! The Finnish left winger went unsigned by the Avalanche this past season despite contributing 20 points during a challenging year in which the team dealt with numerous forward injuries.

Kiviranta is expected to come at a bargain on his next deal, likely just above the league minimum after earning $775K last season. Given the Oilers' tight salary cap situation, they may still need to offload a bit of money, but Kiviranta presents the most practical and cost-effective option among their targets.

He could be seamlessly integrated into the roster as a reliable insurance piece in case prospects like Howard and Matthew Savoie aren't ready for increased responsibilities. And if both youngsters excel, Kiviranta becomes a low-risk, league-minimum depth forward who can sit in the press box and step in when needed.

Source:
Yardbarker
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