The Edmonton Oilers signed Finnish player Aku Raty to a one-year contract on Monday, which is worth $850,000.
This adds a scoring player to their team. Stan Bowman’s team is making moves early in the offseason to get this 24-year-old right-handed player, who recently led his team in scoring in Finland’s Liiga.
Last season, Raty scored 57 points by getting 20 goals and 37 assists in just 51 games. That score put him in seventh place for the whole Finnish league.
His contract costs $850,000, which is important because the Oilers already have some expensive players. McDavid makes $12.5 million, Draisaitl gets $14 million, and Bouchard earns $10.5 million.
Because of these big salaries, Edmonton needs to find less expensive players who can still perform well. Signing the leading scorer from Liiga for the league minimum is a smart choice.
Raty does not have much NHL experience. He only played one game on April 17, 2024, where he got an assist against the Oilers as part of the Arizona Coyotes. That’s all.
The type of contract Raty has indicates where he will likely fit in the team. He is not guaranteed a spot in the top nine players. Instead, he must work hard in training camp, with Bakersfield being a backup option if things don’t go well.
In the AHL, over two seasons, Raty has scored 69 points with 21 goals and 48 assists in 120 games, playing for both Tucson and Rockford. He has been helpful but not a standout player.
So why is he being brought in now? Because Edmonton needs more affordable forwards who can actually score, especially since the bottom six players struggled all season.
The Oilers ended the season with a record of 41 wins, 30 losses, and 11 overtime losses for 93 points, ranking 14th overall and second in the Pacific Division. With a goal difference of plus-13, given the quality of players on the team, it’s clear there’s a problem.
Bowman has been working to improve this issue. Raty is a low-risk part of the solution. If he succeeds, the team would have a 24-year-old scorer for a salary that’s affordable.
What if he doesn’t perform? You can send him down without losing a spot on the roster or affecting the salary cap. The risk is pretty much nothing.
In September, pay attention to how he plays at the NHL speed and on the smaller rink. Statistics from Liiga don’t always mean much here. Many Finnish players who scored a lot have struggled at this stage.
However, the cost allows the Oilers to take their time. In a setting where most NHL contracts seem too high, having a Liiga scoring title for $850K is a smart and low-risk choice you’ll come across this week.
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