For the second straight year, the Edmonton Oilers lost to the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final. The front office has been forced to head back to the drawing board as it attempts to find a way to fill in the holes on the roster. On Monday morning, that led to them re-signing a key depth forward.

That player coming back to town is Kasperi Kapanen, who latched on with the Oilers early last season after he got waived by the St. Louis Blues. Kapanen found a home in Edmonton's lineup as a bottom-six forward, and the team ended up preventing him from hitting the open market by agreeing to a one-year, $1.3 million contract.

“The Oilers are re-signing UFA F Kasperi Kapanen for 1 year $1.3M. 13P in 57 GP with EDM,” PuckPedia reported in a post on X.

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Oilers shore up forward depth with Kasperi Kapanen extension

Edmonton Oilers right wing Kasperi Kapanen (42) warms up before game one against the Vegas Golden Knights in the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena.
Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Kapanen wasn't outrageously productive for the Oilers, scoring five goals and dishing out eight assists in 57 games with them, but he adds an element of grit to their bottom-six that helped the team find their way back to the Stanley Cup Final for the second straight year. He also racked up three goals and three assists in 12 playoff games, so he's proven that he can step up when the lights are at their brightest.

It's not the flashiest move, but Kapanen emerged as a key part of Edmonton's attack as the season went on, and by bringing him back, the Oilers are keeping some continuity in place as they look to make yet another run back to the Final in 2025-26. Now, the front office will work on bringing in some more top-end talent over the next few weeks in order to maximize their championship window with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.