The Edmonton Oilers got out to a hot start to costless agency this morning signing defenseman Mark Fayne and forward Benoit Pouliot. These two players are very good possession players, an area that the Oilers have been looking to improve. 

Pouliot is still young, but has played for five teams in five seasons. The deal is five years @ $4M per season for the winger. He brings more size to the Oilers and will be able to play on the second or third line effectively. He adds a physicality to the top 9, with an ability to score, though his career high is 36 points in one season. The Oilers had to overpay, and five years is steep, but Pouliot is an immediate upgrade to the Oilers forward group.

Fayne meanwhile signed for $3.625M for four years, and adds a shutdown type with good possession numbers to the Oilers blue. He is not offensive, but he is a great shut down type and will be a solid addition to an Oilers defence that had a terrible time shutting down the opposition last season. 

An added wrinkle to the Fayne signing is that the Oilers may now move RFA Jeff Petry. Petry was misplaced as the top defender in Edmonton last season, but is a very good top 4 D. The Oilers should be careful in dealing with him, as he remains the best defenseman on their team and thus the return must be for an immediate upgrade to the lineup.

You can find a nice breakdown of statistics on Poultio and Fayne here.

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About the author
Shaun Maddex
VAVEL NHL Editor and Writer who grew up playing hockey in Canada.