Adam Henrique chose Edmonton over Eastern Conference contender!

On the opening day of free agency Monday, the Edmonton Oilers brought back veteran forward Adam Henrique, signing him to a two-year, $6 million deal.

The 34-year-old was coming off a five-year, $29.125 million deal he signed with the Ducks in July of 2018. He was traded, along with centre Sam Carrick, from Anaheim for two draft picks at the trade deadline.

Henrique played 22 games with the Oilers in the regular season, and also took part in Edmonton’s Stanley Cup run, posting four goals and seven points in 17 contests before they were eliminated by the Florida Panthers.

That was enough time spent with the organization to know he wanted to return, even turning down an offer from an Eastern conference contender.

Lightning head coach Jon Cooper revealed to Darren Dreger of TSN on the Ray & Dregs Podcast, that he contacted Henrique to convince him to come to Tampa, but the veteran forward chose to stay with the Oilers.

Dreger had previously reported that Henrique had been offered more by other teams in the NHL, but had kept the Oilers as his final choice.

Some fans believe the Connor McDavid effect had its impact on Henrique, who probably believes the Oilers can win the championship in the summer 2025.

The Oilers were quite busy on the opening day of free agency, signing not only a returning Henrique, but also offering deals to a large group of forwards, including Viktor Arvidsson , Jeff Skinner , Corey Perry and Matthias Janmark.

They also bolstered their back end with the additions of Josh Brown and Connor Carrick .