The Edmonton Oilers almost lost Adam Henrique to a rival Canadian team

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Finnegan Frost
September 1, 2024 (6:05 PM)

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The Edmonton Oilers can feel confident heading into the regular season knowing Adam Henrique will be back for the 2024-25 campaign.

Although Adam Henrique ultimately re-signed with the Edmonton Oilers, his future with the team was in serious jeopardy during the NHL offseason. According to sources, the Winnipeg Jets were front runners to acquire Adam Henrique.

Winnipeg Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff has been heavily scrutinized over the past 2 months. The Winnipeg Jets are currently a team stuck in "win now" mode, but have proven to be epic post-season failures. After the departure of Sean Monahan and Tyler Toffoli, the Jets depth has shrunk, and Cheveldayoff made no big splashes during the offseason.

One player that could have altered the fate of the Winnipeg Jets this offseason was Adam Henrique. According to sources, GM Cheveldayoff aggressively pursued Henrique, but the deal was ultimately turned down.

"A contact of mine in Winnipeg who has knowledge of the conversations says that Adam Henrique turned down a 2-year, $3.5m contract from the Winnipeg Jets at free agency this summer. Instead, he opted for the Oilers on a 2-year, $3m deal to stay in Edmonton. While $500k may not seem like a lot in an $88m cap world, that is about two thirds that of a minimum salaried player.»

- Kurt Leavins

Players taking pay cuts to remain with the Oilers was thought to be something that was never going to happen. An extremely cold climate combined with fans who can be picky when their team is losing, as well as some of the toughest media to face in the entire league didn't seem appealing to many players for a while.

However, after a Stanley Cup Final appearance last season where they were just one game away from winning their first championship since 1990, some players seem to believe Edmonton is the place to be.

It appears that Henrique was willing to take a substantial pay cut in order to remain a core part of the Edmonton Oilers. This seems to now be the trend concerning Leon Draisaitl, who is rumoured to be taking a pay cut in order to remain with a Stanley Cup contending team.

As it stands, the Winnipeg Jets will have to make due with the roster they have, but their future success looks grim heading into next season.

source: The Hockey Writers
Oilers Almost Lost Adam Henrique to Canadian Rival, Report Claims