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“I just felt it was time to get back into the game and I’m at the Kings development camp now. I’m happy, this coaching gives me some purpose,” said Whitney, who played for San Jose, Florida, nine games as an Oiler, Carolina, Columbus, Detroit, Arizona and Dallas, retiring in 2014.

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One other infamous Whitney Oiler story where the stick boy, nicknamed Mouse, was up to a dirty trick. It was Whitney who hid the Stanley Cup before Game 7 here against the Flyers so Philly coach Mike Keenan couldn’t use the silver mug as continued pre-game inspiration for his players, something he had done before Games 5 and 6 that the Flyers won.

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“Sparky (former assistant equipment manager Kulchisky) said ‘Hey, Mouse… go put this  under the bleachers will ya?.’ So I did,” recalled Whitney on a podcast.

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“Keenan was pissed, the league was in an uproar because they couldn’t find the Cup and Sparky said the circus had just been in town and had left and he wondered if it had got stuck in all their stuff on the way to Calgary. As soon as the game was ready to start, Sparky says to me’ OK, Mouse, now you can bring back the Cup.’ That was the gamesmanship going on back then.”

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The Edmonton Oilers’ Colton Dach (34) battles the Anaheim Ducks’ Mikael Granlund (64) during second period NHL playoff action at Rogers Place, in Edmonton Monday April 20, 2026. Photo by David Bloom /Postmedia

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While Buffalo just signed their fourth-line winger Beck Malenstyn to a six-year deal at a $2.92M AAV, is that the benchmark for Oilers’ RFA 4LW Colton Dach?

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Probably not.

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Dach is five years younger, a plus, and physical like Malenstyn, but the Sabres’ forward has 262 NHL games to Dach’s 86. Oilers may be thinking more along the lines of a show-us short-term deal in the low $1M range for Dach, just ending his three-year entry level at $825,000 AAV.

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Local comparables for Dach: Winger Vasily Podkolzin signed a two-year deal for $1M AAV with Oilers after the Canucks 2024 summer trade before getting his three-year $2.95 m AAV package here. Winger Trent Frederic got a two-year deal for $1.15M AAV from Bruins when he was trying to establish himself as a regular bottom sixer.

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The Ducks, who beat the Oilers in six games in round 1, just got the negotiating rights to Florida’s A.J. Greer and are hoping to sign the UFA winger as a fourth-line replacement for fellow UFA Jeffrey Viel.

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If so, the Oilers should be all over Viel on July 1. If they’re looking for some ready and willing feistiness on their fourth-line, they should sign the journeyman Viel, 29.

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He had 14 points in 47 games for Ducks last year after earlier NHL stops with San Jose and Boston. He was an integral part of the Ducks’ series win over the Oilers, not just with two goals, but playing often against the Oiler big guns with Tim Washe and Ian Moore on a fourth line.

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This ‘n that: The Oilers have 27 players at their development camp which starts Tuesday at the Downtown Community Centre, including all five of their 2026 draft picks and three college women’s players — Abbey Murphy, Chloe Primerano and Caitlin Kraemer. Murphy, who won a gold medal for USA at the 2026 Olympics, plays for the Seattle Torrent (PWHL). Primerano plays defence for U of Minnesota and Kraemer forward at Minnesota Duluth… No surprise that the Oilers aren’t qualifying farmhand winger Matvey Petrov which makes him UFA July 1 after his three lukewarm years in Bakersfield. The Russian seemed a prize sixth-round draft pick, a point-producer in the OHL, but it never translated to the pros. “Great kid. He had lots of injuries and couldn’t get going the last two years,” said Oilers assistant GM Keith Gretzky, who looks after the farm team… Kasperi Kapanen’s wife Matleena just posted “Last days in Canada.” With a heart. That sounds like he’s signing with a U.S. based team on July 1 Their son Laakso was born here this past February… The Oilers qualified winger Roby Jarventie, who played three NHL games this season and a strong season (47 points in 61 games in Bakersfield) before hiking off to Ambri-Piotta in the Swiss Elite League for the next two years. Jarventie didn’t see a way for regular NHL employment here right now. But they want to keep his rights in case he wants to returns to the NHL… Just-retired Los Angeles Kings’ captain Anze Kopitar, who will be a first ballot Hall of Famer in three years when he’s eligible, is at the Brick tournament right now (Western Selects) with his forward son Jakob. Anze is on the bench… Lots of people wondering by San Jose gave onetime Oiler draft pick D Mike Kesselring $4.5M AAV for three years after trading for him, with just 190 games and being a healthy scratch throughout the playoffs for Buffalo. Well, the Sharks have almost no D signed, he shoots right, he’s only 26, he moves the puck, and the deal comes with no trade protection. The Hurricanes didn’t qualify ex Oiler draft pick forward Skyler Brind’Amour, Rod’s son, after his time with their AHL team that got to the Calder Cup final so he’s UFA July 1… Oil Kings goalie Parker Snell, currently at Blue Jackets development camp this week, was one of only five North American tenders amongst the all-time high of 32 taken in any NHL draft over the last 20 years. Snell is the fourth Oil Kings’ goalie ever drafted into the NHL: Laurent Brossoit, Tristan Jarry, Sebastian Cossa and Snell… The CHL Import draft goes Tuesday with the Oil Kings having 51st and 56th pick in round 1 and another in round 2. Big draft for the WHL team after they lost all of their Euros after last season — Max Curran (Calgary Flames, going to UMass-Amherst, Milan Holinka (likely playing for Leafs’ AHL team) and Adam Jecho (an upcoming Blues farmhand).

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