The Edmonton Oilers have re-signed 34-year-old center Adam Henrique to a two-year contract worth $3 million each season per Elliotte Friedman. A veteran in the NHL of 14 seasons across three different teams including the Oilers in 2023-24, the aging forward is a great model for consistency.
While Henrique is a bit older, he is still playing like he is in his prime—he scored 24 goals and 27 assists for 51 points in 82 games last season. What can he provide now?
Henrique Can Be a Great Middle-Six Player
Ironically, Henrique has been a better offensive contributor now that he is in his 30s than ever before. From the 2021-22 season through his 2023-24 campaign with the Anaheim Ducks, he scored 59 goals and 63 assists for 122 points in 180 contests—a pace of 56 points per 82 games despite his club being in a rebuild. Averaging 17:44 of ice time in that span, he was relied on a lot.
Once he was traded to the Oilers at the trade deadline in 2023-24, that’s when his offensive numbers started to decline a bit as he took on a lesser role. Still, the implication here is that he can fill in throughout the lineup, but can comfortably be on the second line if needed. He can play on the wing as well as down the middle, making him pretty versatile.
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Henrique has some two-way upside, too, as he was once one of the better defensive forwards in the game. He has leaned on his offensive ability recently, but if he is asked to hunker down and limit the opportunities that opposing lines get, he can do that. Assuming he gets around 15 to 16 minutes of average ice time and plays a full slate, he can be a 45-point player in 2024-25 and beyond.
Fit with Edmonton
The Oilers brought in Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson in free agency likely to fill in for their second line, so Henrique is probably going to be their third-line center for the next two seasons. He was decent if not pretty good there for Edmonton, so bringing him back makes sense. Losing in Game 7 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, the Oilers should have what it takes to run it back.
It seems as though the Oilers are pretty much done making offseason moves, as they have already done a ton of work and don’t have any cap space to spare for another splash. On paper, they are arguably even better than they were last season—they should be a Stanley Cup favorite.
