The Edmonton Oilers were busy on Tuesday, signing three different restricted free agents to new one-year contracts.
The first deal was with Andrew Miller, the undrafted college free agent who the team signed last summer:
While the announcement lists Miller as a centre, in actuality he spent virtually the entirety of his first AHL campaign on right wing. Miller, who at 25 is a little long in the tooth for a rookie pro, needed to have an impactful debut season in the minors but only gets mixed reviews. He performed well in a sheltered role in terms of on-ice shot numbers but early on struggled to score despite excellent speed and playmaking vision.
In that regard, though, there was a hopeful sign. Here are his season splits:
- October – December: 33 games, 17 points, minus-five
- January – April: 19 games, 17 points, plus-eight
The late season surge was particularly impressive given that Miller lost a big stretch of games to injury. He certainly showed enough to deserve another contract and he should be a legitimate recall option next season if he makes any progress at all.
Related: Summer 2013 prospect profile for Andrew Miller
The next two deals were announced together. Tyler Pitlick and Curtis Hamilton, selected 17 spots apart in the 2010 NHL Draft, both got one year deals. Despite the joint announcement, the situations of the two players are significantly different.
Pitlick has struggled through injuries but had far-and-away his best professional campaign in 2013-14. He played 10 games at the NHL level and scored his first goal, and in the minors managed 22 points in 39 games. He’s on the doorstep of regular NHL duty (the 22-year-old should compete for the Oilers’ fourth line right wing job in training camp) and Edmonton’s decision to re-sign him is not surprising in the least.
Hamilton is a different story. Like Pitlick he’s struggled through injuries; unlike Pitlick he isn’t on the verge of NHL duty. Here’s one fun comparison:
- Hamilton: 43 games, 16 points, minus-seven
- Austin Fyten: 47 games, 20 points, plus-seven
Fyten, who worked his way up from the ECHL on merit, is comparable in size and age to Hamilton and in terms of performance was comparable or better than the Oilers’ draft pick in my viewings. There’s been no word on him and if he vanishes from the organization not too many people will really notice.
Hamilton, who has been underwhelming for three consecutive seasons, now has his second NHL contract. Obviously his pedigree is good, but performance to date has lagged pedigree.
It’s an interesting contrast. The Oilers wouldn’t have been criticized if they’d chosen to save a spot on their 50-man list by parting ways with Hamilton, particularly since his role on the farm next year is far from clear. Obviously the team thinks he still has potential to break out in a significant way. We’ll see if they’re right.
Related: Summer 2013 prospect profile of Tyler Pitlick
Related: Summer 2013 prospect profile of Curtis Hamilton
There’s one other point worth noting here. Yesterday, the Oilers had six restricted free agents. But with Roman Horak and Philip Larsen bound for Europe, and with three signing on Tuesday, Edmonton enters Wednesday with just one RFA to get under contract.
That last RFA is of course Justin Schultz. Negotiations with him are likely to be a little more complicated.
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