The July 1 activity has Edmonton Oilers fans in a small state of shock. A roster with all 23 holes filled and plenty of cap room? It’s a trip from the days of Ken Holland’s run as general manager of the team (2019-24), when the pandemic, buyouts, expensive signings and slow-playing prospects saw the team often at the very top of the cap with fewer than the maximum 23 roster players.In dealing Darnell Nurse and using the newly available dollars to make smart, low-cost bets, general manager Stan Bowman has set course on a new era. The Oilers are still top-heavy, with three men making more than $10 million annually. The trio of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard, however, are all value deals at their price, and that allows the team to improve the floor without compromising the ceiling.Most of the new arrivals are familiar to NHL fans, ranging from emerging talents finding their way (Devon Levi, Shakir Mukhamadullin), to well-known veterans (Ryan Shea, Mathieu Joseph) and famous NHL players (Frederik Andersen) coming off a Stanley Cup-winning season. The club even found the money to re-sign wingers Kasperi Kapanen and Max Jones.Two players acquired during the watershed opening day of free agency have little name recognition. Both could be important to the Oilers in the future. Here’s their story.NHL free agency: Early winners and losersShayna Goldman and Madison EadesEduards TralmaksTralmaks’ career path is a long and winding road. He was 6 feet 4, 210 pounds (now at 225) when he signed an American Hockey League contract with the Providence Bruins in March 2021. Described as a “hard working competitor and effective power forward” by Maine coach Red Gendron, Tralmaks played parts of three seasons with the AHL Bruins before heading to the Kladno Knights of the Czech league for the 2023-24 season. Once there, the Latvian scored goals in bunches (44 over two seasons).In March 2025, at age 28, he earned a one-year NHL contract from the Detroit Red Wings. A player who is trending up at 28 isn’t terribly unusual, but having enough upward trajectory to earn a first NHL deal at that age is somewhat unusual. Tralmaks rewarded Detroit with 26 goals on the wing in the AHL during 2025-26.On July 1, in the middle of the busiest day imaginable, Bowman signed Tralmaks to his second NHL deal. It’s for just one year, but there is an increase in his AHL salary (from $225,000 with Detroit to $400,000 with the Oilers).Why would the Oilers do that? He’s a first-shot scorer, and the Oilers badly need one in the AHL and the NHL. Let’s compare his season in 2025-26 with those of Ike Howard and Quinn Hutson, who delivered strong performances as AHL rookies.PlayerShots-GameGoals-GameSh PctEduards Tralmaks20.4120.5Ike Howard3.20.5115.9Quinn Hutson2.970.4515.1Offensively, all three wingers are a problem for opponents. Tralmaks is notable because he doesn’t need many chances to cash in, and his size, speed and skill have great utility. He is big, can get to places and create problems, while also having a nice set of hands for a player his size. Patrick Maroon didn’t have the wheels, and he was younger than Tralmaks when he ascended to the NHL, but the basic premise applies. Tralmaks can score goals and has utility in other areas. It isn’t out of the realm of possibility that Mike Babcock takes a liking to him in preseason and remembers the big Latvian when injuries hit during the year.