There have been multiple changes in recent weeks to the Edmonton Oilers, who were eliminated in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the divisional rival Anaheim Ducks, bringing an end to their goal of reaching the Stanley Cup Final for a third straight year.
Following the end of their season, Oilers GM Stan Bowman fired head coach Kris Knoblauch and assistant coach Mark Stuart, and is now on the verge of hiring controversial former NHL head coach Mike Babcock to be the new voice behind their bench.
And while Bowman still has plenty of work to do in terms of the Oilers’ roster, it appears as though one particular veteran, who was acquired in 2024, will not be back with the club next season.
The Edmonton Oilers Are Not Expected To Bring Back Veteran Forward Adam Henrique
Not only are the Oilers not expected to bring back forward Jack Roslovic, but according to NHL Insider David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, they’re also not expected to retain forward Adam Henrique.
“After scoring 21 goals with the Edmonton Oilers this season, it sounds like Jack Roslovic will be hitting the free agent next month,” Pagnotta reported. “Adam Henrique is not expected back in Edmonton, either.”
This past season, Henrique appeared in 65 regular season games and scored just three goals to go with 12 assists.
When it came close to the NHL Trade Deadline, Henrique confirmed through his agent that he was not willing to waive his no-trade clause to facilitate a trade to go elsewhere.
“Adam Henrique doesn’t want to go anywhere and hasn’t told the Oilers he’s willing to waive trade protection,” NHL Insider Darren Dreger wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Team and agent confirm.”
Adam Henrique Played In His 1,000th NHL Game In October
Henrique recently completed the second season of a two-year, $6 million contract that included a full no-trade clause. He actually celebrated the 1,000th game of his NHL career in October, and his appreciated the gestures from his teammates.
“It’s been a fun morning,” Henrique said in October. “I kind of forgot about the shirts, and that’s kind of a bit of a tradition. So that was fun at breakfast, seeing that this morning, and [Assistant Equipment Manager Brad Harrison] up to his old tricks with some videos and all that sort of stuff… I saw Savvy wearing out the Red Bull logo on the back, and I was like, ‘Ah, he must be a race fan too, I guess.’ And then I saw the rest of the shirt.”
“That’s the best part of the game – that camaraderie in the room and joking around with everybody and having fun and being light-hearted and just the joy that that brings to the game with everybody in there and being a part of it.”
Taken with the 82nd overall pick by the New Jersey Devils in the 2008 NHL Draft, Henrique has spent time with the Devils, Anaheim Ducks, and Oilers.
In 1,058 career NHL games, he’s scored 278 goals with 294 assists for 572 points.
Oilers Expected To Part Ways With 1,058 Game Veteran