ON THE BENCH

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Ales Kotalik of the Edmonton Oilers.

Photograph by : Edmonton Journal

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- Oilers veteran goalie Dwayne Roloson may get a one-year offer with a raise over last year's $3.66-million salary cap hit, but the odds of Edmonton offering more than one season are slim because of his age. Roloson turns 40 in October.

- The Oilers have 19 players under contract for $42,887,000 in 2009-10 (including defenceman Taylor Chorney, who was on the roster for the final week of the season), but have to sign Group 2 defencemen Denis Grebeshkov and Ladislav Smid, get a goalie under contract and try to sign unrestricted free-agent blue-liner Jason Strudwick and Group 2 centre Kyle Brodziak.

- Grebeshkov is very close to signing. The two sides are only about $150,000 a year apart on a three-year contract. The final dollars could be in the neighbourhood of the Vancouver Canucks defenceman Alex Edler ($3.25 million).

- The Oilers aren't interested in Philadelphia Flyers goalie Martin Biron, who will be unrestricted on July 1. He's looking for $4.5 million a year, too rich for the Oilers' blood.

jmatheson@thejournal.canwest.com