Oilers Sign Kurtis Foster

While the NHL has seen a busy day in terms of high priced defencemen moving in the first few hours of free agency, the Oilers made what has to be seen as a smart and value conscious investment grabbing Kurtis Foster from the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Defenceman Kurtis Foster has signed a two-year contract with the Edmonton Oilers worth $1.8 million per year.

Jonathan Willis' says a bit about Foster. Willis writes "I love this deal, and not just because Foster was talking about the Oilers’ jersey he had as a kid. Foster was a power-play force with Tampa Bay last year, and appears to be the heir apparent to Sheldon Souray in Edmonton. His shot is good though not the same calibre as Souray’s, but his price point is significantly lower at $1.8 million per season for two years.

Lowetide adds "Great signing. We've talked about him in the past (he had a horrible injury which made him a bit of a question mark) and has a monster shot. Souray is gone."
Foster is a 28-year-old and had eight goals and 34 assists with the Tampa Bay Lightning last season. His numbers are likely to dip with less talent in Edmonton offensively than Tampa had, but at $1.8 million per year, he's still value even if he gets you 30 points which is a good bet.

Foster does have some injury history having suffered a broken femur in 2008 as a member of the Minnesota Wild but he played most of the season last year in Tampa and had a breakout performance. Good signing by the Oilers who now have Gilbert/Whitney, Smid/Foster, Vandermeer/Peckham.