A Player From Each Team The Edmonton Oilers Could Trade For
Atlantic Division
Boston Bruins-Jake DeBrusk(41GP-7G-8A)
Jake DeBrusk has been rumored to want a change of scenery, and he is tied to the Edmonton Oilers since those reports came out. Being from Edmonton, DeBrusk would probably be okay with being traded here. He would help the Oilers with the winger scoring depth.
DeBrusk currently has a cap hit of $3.675 million and is a restricted free agent at the end of this season. The fact that he is still under control is the main reason why DeBrusk makes the most sense coming from the Boston Bruins.
The cost to bring him in will be high because of the control, but that would make the price to get him worth it. The potential to have him for several more years makes sense to pay it as well.
Buffalo Sabres-Cody Eakin(42GP-3G-9A)
Cody Eakin is on the last year of his contract that carries a $2.25 million cap hit. Trading for Eakin would be a rental play. At the age he is at I doubt the Edmonton Oilers would resign him. He is a solid faceoff man. He has a 55.7% faceoff percentage so far this season.
He would be a useful asset for the Edmonton Oilers on their penalty kill and in defensive zone faceoffs. Faceoffs are an area that a team can always use an improvement. If you win the faceoff that gives your team a chance to do what it wants with the puck.
Bring a UFA at the end of the season means that it wouldn’t take much to bring in Eakin. So this is someone I would think the Oilers have not much to lose in bringing in Cody Eakin.
Detroit Red Wings- Vladislav Namestnikov(49GP-13G-10A)
Vladislav Namestnikov is on the last year of his contract that carries a $2 million cap hit. He a solid depth scoring winger. Right now he is currently playing the 3rd line in Detroit and has 12 goals. With that amount of goals he would currently be sitting 4th on the team. He has played more games, but that amount of goals would still help.
He currently has an 18.8 shooting percentage. That would place him 2nd on the Edmonton Oilers. This Oilers team has been struggling to score goals. So adding a player that can score is always a good idea.
Vladislav Namestnikov is a UFA at the end of the year so the price for him would be cheap to bring in. His defensive side is also pretty good. He is on a struggling Detroit team and is only a -1.
Florida Panthers- Radko Gudas(45GP-0G-11A)
Radko Gudas is on the second last year of his contract that has a cap hit of $2.5 million. He is a big, solid shut down defenseman. Something the Edmonton Oilers have been missing this season since Adam Larsson left and signed with the Kraken.
The problem with the Oilers bringing in Radko Gudas is the fact that the Florida Panthers probably won’t want to let him go. If they do want to let him go it will be for a steep price as they are a team that will be pushing hard for the Stanley Cup.
Montreal Canadiens– Ben Chairot(44GP-5G-4A)
Ben Chairot is a solid defensive option for the Edmonton Oilers to look at acquiring. He is a top pair guy in Montreal right now. That in line with the fact the Canadiens are struggling right now is what makes him available via trade. The Canadiens are all, but eliminated from the playoffs, so they will be selling looking for assets.
Chairot will be on the radar for lots of teams, so he may be in the midst of a bidding war. If the price doesn’t get extremely high and the Oilers are in a good spot on deadline day, look for the Oilers to perhaps make a phone call on him.
Ottawa Senators- Nick Paul(44GP-9G-6A)
Nick Paul is a centreman that would be a nice fit in the roster. Currently he is the second line center on the Ottawa Senators. The Senators don’t have the best roster so if he plays on the Oilers he would be good option on the 3rd or 4th line.
Paul would be a rental as he is a UFA at season’s end. He wouldn’t be at the top of my list for depth players, but if the better players have all been traded for he is a good option. He isn’t going to hurt your team, but he also isn’t going to push the needle that much, so he could come cheap.
Tampa Bay Lightning- Jan Rutta(44GP-2G-9A)
Jan Rutta would be the shutdown defenseman the Edmonton Oilers could use. He is a UFA after the end of this season so if you offer something decent to the Lightning there is a chance they may move him.
With the Tampa Bay Lightning looking to win the Stanley Cup there is a chance they may want to move him. So, if the Oilers want to try and get him they may need to overpay which may be why this move won’t happen.
Toronto Maple Leafs- Ilya Mikheyev(16GP-7G-3A)
Ilya Mikheyev is a hardworking, skilled winger. This is something any team would be interested in. He will be a UFA at the end of the season, so the Maple Leafs may want to get some assets in return for him. He will likely be looking for a raise next season and Toronto has some cap issues.
This might be a good time for Edmonton to make the move for that reason. With Toronto not being able to keep him for next season, the Oilers could pick the low hanging fruit that is Mikheyev. The Oilers also have some cap issues, so the likelyhood of him returning with Edmonton is also low.
It may not be worth to give up something for a Mikheyev rental, but depending on the price it would be a nice fit.