Jujhar Khaira, Edmonton’s third-round pick at the 2012 draft, has inked a two-year deal to remain with the club through 2019, the team announced on Friday.
Per Sportsnet, it’s a $1.35 million pact with a $675,000 average annual cap hit.
Khaira, 22, has appeared in 25 games for the Oilers over the last two years. In doing so, he became just the third Indo-Canadian to play in the NHL -- joining Robin Bawa and Manny Malhotra -- and scored his first career tally last season.
Khaira has prototypical power forward size -- 6-foot-4, 219 pounds -- and enjoyed a very solid scoring campaign with AHL Bakersfield last year, with 20 points in 27 games. It’s possible he’ll crack the Edmonton lineup to start next season, possibly as a bottom-six replacement for the departing Matt Hendricks.
Of course, he could also be Vegas-bound. It’s expected Edmonton will protect Leon Draisaitl, Milan Lucic, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jordan Eberle, Patrick Maroon, Zack Kassian and Mark Letestu under the 7-3-1 format, though things could change if a trade happens before tomorrow’s deadline.