Keith Aulie- RFA: Aulie is a big strong young defenseman unfortunately he's not a particularly good skater. If he can learn to utilize his size and reach to compensate for his lack of foot speed he may yet become an NHL level defenseman as it is he's a non-tender candidate.
Mark Fayne- signed through 2017/18: Fayne has been the most steady Oilers defenseman this year and should be the anchor of their defense pairing over the next few years.
Andrew Ference- signed through 2016/17: As MacTavish mentioned Ference is a pillar of the community, great ambassador etc unfortunately you'll notice MacTavish didn't mention a single thing about what Ference brings on the ice. Ference is a bottom pairing defenseman being passed by Oilers prospects but has a No movement clause ensuring his place on the Oilers. As the team captain it's hard to believe any coach would make him a healthy scratch even if he deserves to be.
Oscar Klefbom- RFA following next season: Klefbom has been everything Oilers fans hoped he would be after he was selected with the Kings first round pick (from the Dustin Penner trade). He has found chemistry with defense partner Justin Schultz and helped improve Schultz's game and confidence after he struggled with less talented defensive partners earlier this seasonl Klefbom appearss destined to be one of the Oilers top defenseman for years to come if he continues his steady play. Next year will be an important year for Klefbom as he should no longer fly under the radar around the league.
Martin Marincin- RFA: Martin Marincin appeared promising for the Oilers last year but found himself without a spot on the Oilers blueline this season. Whether he was in the dog house of MacTavish or Eakins he found himself on the Oklahoma City Barons paired mostly with fellow Slovak Martin Gernat.
Marincin was in tough with a strong group of Oilers prospects in OKC and didn't put up overwhelming numbers. The last stretch of the season is going to be important for Marincin to make a case for himself as a legitimate NHL player for either the Oilers or another team. He is waiver eligible next season and could become a potential trade piece if the Oilers feel others have passed him on the depth chart.
Nikita Nikitin- UFA following next season: Nikitin has been Andrew Ference's pylow brother on the Oilers blueline this season. He played as an Oilers powerplay quarterback who made poor decisions with his puck distribution and stood out for all the wrong reasons.
His GM Craig MacTavish believes him to be a top 4 NHL defenseman and all Oilers fans would love it if MacTavish was correct. There were apparently concerns of his health and Nikitin coming into camp in poor condition. Hopefully with his career winding down and free agency approaching Nikitin will perform much better next season chasing his next pay day.
Jordan Oesterle- signed through next season: I haven't noticed his play a ton so far but he hasn't stood out in a bad way. I'm hopeful to see more from him down the stretch as he states his case for a look in camp. At this point he probably starts the season in Bakersfield.
Justin Schultz- RFA: Schultz showed immense promise when he dominated the American Hockey League in the lockout season as the leading scoring AHL defenseman despite playing only half the season.
In his jump to the NHL he's shown great promise but also has solidified himself as the fans whipping boy with his ill timed pinches, moments of defensive ineptness and his wrist shot passes that seem to draw the ire of Oilers fans everywhere.
The outlook isin't all bleak for Schultz. He's shown flashes of offensive creativity that simply cannot be taught and has seen his game aided greatly by defense partner Oscar Klefbom. He may never become a first pairing Norris calibre defenseman as was speculated when he was first signed but he is still very young and has seen improvement in his game and confidence. I would say it's definitely far too early to discard the young defenseman. That said expect to see more growing pains in the future.
Ben Scrivens- UFA following next season: Scrivens gained a reputation on the back of his miraculous performance against the San Jose Sharks for an Oilers faithful desperate for a goaltender to believe in. Scrivens has had an up and down tenure with the Oilers though seemingly standing on his head some nights but following that with soft goals that same game or in following games. His inability to play the puck has led to many chances and goals against for the opposition.
Barring an upgrade he'll get another opportunity to prove himself as a starting goaltender again next season so expect it to be a big season for Ben.
Viktor Fast- UFA: Not great, not bad, not healthy and likely gone.
Non Roster Oilers
Jesse Joensuu- UFA: Gone
Darnell Nurse- signed through 2016/17: Big, lanky, strong skater who had a great World Jr's for team Canada. He's a bit of a roamer with the Greyhounds and I hope he's not shackled in the name of having him be more of a shutdown guy by the Oilers. He may be headed for Bakersfield more because of the logjam entrenched Oilers defense rather than his actual readiness.
Leon Draisaitl- signed through 2016/17: Big strong centremen who needs to work on his skating over the summer.. He was too good for the WHL this year and not good enough for the NHL. I think he was sheltered to the point of not really having much opportunity to prove himself by Eakins when the team was already out of contention but he did show he's not quite ready. I think he may need Bakersfield more than Nurse next season but it will be up to him to demonstrate where his abilities are.
Steve Pinizotto- UFA: He had a couple stretches on the fourth line where he didn't look awful but he's not an NHL player and should be let go this summer to gain that sweet sweet contract slot.
Brad Hunt- RFA: Has a bomb, is an AHL all-star but he's likely never an NHL level guy. He could be retained to aid Bakersfield but it may be time to move on and free up another contract slot.
Brandon Davidson- RFA: MacTavish seems high on him, he seems pretty solid in Bakersfield and wasn't terrible in the NHL. I would say it's highly likely he's re-signed and in Bakersfield next season.
Bogdan Yakimov- signed through 2016-17: I didn't notice him standout too much early in the season but I have missed some Barons games. He had a really solid game the other night. I'd expect him to be in Bakersfield and hopefully showing some growth next season.
Andrew Miller- He always seems to be impressive in the games I've seen.
Sorry I got a little lazy on the guys in the system that I haven't really seen that much and decided not to list them.