A Player From Each Team The Edmonton Oilers Could Trade For

The NHL trade deadline this season is on March 21. This marks the last day teams, including the Edmonton Oilers, are able to make changes to their team by swapping assets. It usually involves the teams lower in the standings trading away their players on expiring contracts to higher standing teams.

The teams lower in the standings in return will likely look to retrieve draft picks, prospects or players under contract in return. At this point in their season they know there is very little chance to make the playoffs so they are looking to improve their team for next year. So it is out with older players and in with newer players with potential.

The teams higher in the standings are doing the opposite. They may look at their current roster and realize they are only one or two players short of making a deep playoff run. So they will give away their future for the chance to win now.

The issue with going all in for a run is, if you don’t win you have nothing to show for it. Not only did you lose in the playoffs, but you gave away future assets for a player that will likely not help your team in the future. This is where the struggle is for a General Manager.

Are The Edmonton Oilers Buyers or Sellers?

The Edmonton Oilers as of now find themselves in a tough spot. They are not playing excellent right now, so going all in this deadline may not move the needle. The Oilers are also not bad enough to trade away players to get assets.

So this is where Ken Holland has to make a tough call. The worse thing Holland could do is to do a halfway. He can’t bring in an expiring contract for a draft pick because I don’t think they are good enough to beat either the Vegas Golden Knights or the Colorado Avalanche.

They also aren’t in a place to give players away for picks. The Edmonton Oilers fan base and the ownership need this team to make the playoffs. The fans need to see that the team is getting better and that management is actually improving this team year to year. Ownership needs to make the money that home playoff games can bring in. This means even more now in the COVID era.

Where The Edmonton Oilers Need Help

There is several areas in which the Edmonton Oilers need to improve. There is depth scoring wingers, depth center, and goaltending. This shouldn’t be news for anyone reading this article as it has been the areas that have needed help for several years.

Every team knows what the Oilers need, so that could make a trade difficult as they hold the leverage, but as the deadline approaches teams are more likely to make a trade then they are earlier in the season. So hopefully one of the NHL teams are willing to make a deal with the Oilers.

In this article I have gone through every NHL team aside from the Edmonton Oilers to see a player that could be injected into the Oilers lineup. These players are realistic players that both the team would be willing to trade and a player that could help the Oilers.

The cost to bring in some of these players would be high and other would be low. So some of the trades will help the Oilers a lot and some just help a little bit. Feel free after reading this to put in the comments on who you would like to add.

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.

Central Division

Arizona Coyotes- Ryan Dzingel(26GP-4G-3A)

Ryan Dzingel early in his career was a fairly consistent goal scorer. In the last couple years his offensive numbers have come down, but he is still a solid two way forward. The Edmonton Oilers need a couple more two way players.

The top part of the Edmonton Oilers lineup is designed to score goals, so the bottom part needs to not allow goals. By adding Dzingel he will definitely be a solid depth forward that will help keep the puck out of the Oilers net, and may also put a couple in the opposing one.

Chicago Blackhawks- Dylan Strome(35GP-9G-12A)

Dylan Strome could arguably be the Blackhawks best player, so why would they want to trade him? The Blackhawks will be a team that will be rebuilding, if not this year then soon. Their older players will be retiring and they will need to be replaced. The best way to replace star players is to draft them.

In order to add more draft picks the Blackhawks are going to have to trade away their better players. It doesn’t get much better than Strome. After having a 20 goal season in 2018-2019 Strome hasn’t been able to crack the 15 goal mark. This is mostly due to injuries. In his 6 years in the NHL he has yet to play a full season.

The high end skill of Strome would be almost a perfect fit in this Oilers lineup. All he would have to do is likely move from center to winger.

Colorado Avalanche- Ryan Murray(23GP-0G-4A)

Ryan Murray, the 2nd overall pick in the 2012 entry draft, is a d-man that the Edmonton Oilers should take a hard look at. He is a defenseman that in the past has been able to handle large amounts minutes and play against harder competition.

When it comes to the NHL playoffs you need a defenseman like that. Colorado would be okay with trading him away, as he is currently on their third pairing. So it shouldn’t take much to get him out of there. Plus the fact that he is a pending UFA, makes he come out of there even easier.

Dallas Stars- Braden Holtby(0.912SV%-2.78GAA)

Braden Holtby has been having one of his better seasons since leaving Washington. He is not quite putting up his Vezina numbers, but his numbers are definitely better than the current goalies we have.

The Stars have 3 NHL caliber goalies on their roster right now. This is something the Oilers can use to take advantage of. An NHL team doesn’t need 3 goalies, even more important they don’t want to pay 3 goalies. This could be leverage that Edmonton can use.

Minnesota Wild- Nico Sturm(41GP-8G-8A)

Nico Sturm is currently playing on the 4th line in Minnesota. He would play in a similar position if he was on the Edmonton Oilers. He will be a UFA at the end of the year and has a cap hit of $725,000 so there is no issue in bringing him in as cheap rental.

He is also strong in the faceoff dot, with a 52.5FO% so he would be a good player on the powerplay. He could also be put out there to take faceoffs in important places if need be. He would be a very moveable piece in any lineup.

Nashville Predators- Nick Cousins(42GP-6G-7A)

Nick Cousins currently has a cap hit of $1.5 million and has a contract that expires at the end of the season this year. Cousins is the left winger on the second line in Nashville right now. The Predators are in a push for a playoff spot right now also.

So if they were to trade away their second line winger they would need something back in return. What that is would likely be on the blue line. The Edmonton Oilers do have a abundance of d-men both older and younger so that would be how the deal would get done.

St. Louis Blues- David Perron(33GP-9G-13A)

David Perron has been an Oiler before earlier in his career. It may have only been for a season and a half, but while he was here he was able to have his best scoring season with 28 goals. The Blues are currently in the fight for a playoff spot, but if they start to slide they may turn into a team that will become sellers.

If he becomes available this could be a good veteran rental player to bring in to help this team. Place him in the bottom six and he will help out in almost every angle of play. He can help with offence and he will help in the defensive end.

Winnipeg Jets- Andrew Copp(45GP-12G-16A)

Averaging just over 0.5 points per game, Andrew Copp, is a player that would help every team. The only reason he is on this list is that he is a pending UFA. If the Jets don’t think they will be able to get him signed they may want to move him out.

He also plays on the 1st unit penalty kill for the Jets. The penalty kill is an area that the Oilers need help in. So he will be a much sought after player.

Pacific Division

Anaheim Ducks- Rickard Rakell(39GP-11G-10A)

Rickard Rakell has a $3.789 million cap hit that expires at the end of this season. This previous offseason there was a lot of rumors around Rakell getting traded. This was because most people saw the Anaheim Ducks not having much success this season.

As of right now the Ducks are currently sitting in the 2nd Wild Card spot. They have played quite a bit more games than most teams behind them, so I don’t see them holding on to that spot. So that could make them sellers at the deadline.

The right wing is a weakness for the Edmonton Oilers, as the only skilled right wingers they have are Jesse Puljujarvi and Kailer Yamamoto. This in comparison to the left side where you have Hyman, Kane, Foegele and they could even us Nugent-Hopkins there as well.

The Oilers could really improve their depth on offense if they can add Rakell. His is a skilled player with a little sandpaper in his game. He would be a good fit on the 3rd line and you could move him up in the lineup if required.

Calgary Flames- Erik Gudbranson(45GP-2G-8A)

Erik Gudbranson is a 30 year old NHL veteran that could add solid depth to this Edmonton Oilers back end. He is currently on the 3rd pair on the Calgary Flames. This is likely where he would be placed if he was on the Oilers as well.

He may not be an upgrade on either of the current right d-man, but he will be an excellent spare if a player is injured or is playing poorly. With his contract up at the end of the season it wouldn’t be a longer term relationship, but hopefully he would be able to add dimension to the Oilers backend that it needs.

Los Angeles Kings- Olli Maatta(32GP-1G-2A)

Olli Maatta is a defenseman with playoff experience. He has won 2 Stanley Cups with the Pittsburg Penguins in 2016 and 2017. He played fair significant minutes in the 2017 run also averaging 20:37 TOI.

The more defenseman you can rely on during a playoff run the better shape your team will be in. Last playoffs vs the Winnipeg Jets Darnell Nurse averaged 38:39 TOI per game. Most of the games did go to overtime, but still if the Oilers had another d-man they could put out there and trust that number would have been lower.

This is a deal that wouldn’t make your team better right now. It is a trade that will help you in the playoffs when you shorten your bench to player you can trust. Maatta is a player you can trust and his past proves that.

San Jose Sharks- Tomas Hertl(49GP-22G-16A)

Tomas Hertl is second in points for the Sharks, but since he is a UFA at the end of this season he potentially could be traded. The Sharks don’t look like they are going to be playing in the playoffs this season. When a team knows they aren’t making the playoffs they start selling players for futures.

Being one of the better players that may be traded Hertl will being in lots in return. This is where it could be a problem for the Oilers. Edmonton doesn’t want to trade away may of it top draft picks for a rental this season. Even more so they don’t want to do it for a rental.

If there is a way to bring in Hertl into this lineup, I think the Oilers should try. I just don’t know if they will be able to.

Seattle Kraken- Mark Gioradano(42GP-4G-15A)

Mark Gioradano is a player that many Edmonton Oilers fan may not like due to him playing with the Calgary Flames for most of his career. That and the fact he injured Connor McDavid on what could have been perceived as a dirty play.

All that aside Gioradano is still a solid defenseman that can help out this Edmonton Oilers team. If he can help this team move forward in the playoffs the fans will be fast to get past their hate of him. The fans used to despise Kassian, but when he came here he quickly became a fan favorite.

Vancouver Canucks- Jaroslav Halak(0.903SV%-2.90GAA)

Jaroslav Halak’s best season may be behind him, but that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t be an upgrade on the Edmonton Oilers goaltending situation. Halak is a proven playoff preformer. In 39 playoff games he has posted a 0.919% with a 2.48 GAA. He was able to carry the Montreal Canadians to the Eastern Conference final in the 2009-2010 season.

That was more than 10 years ago though. If the Oilers bring him in. they would be hoping to catch lightning in a bottle. If Jaroslav Halak can play like he did in the 2010 playoffs, the Oilers would have a real chance of going deep.

Vegas Golden Knights- Ben Hutton(27GP-1G-7A)

Ben Hutton would be depth add for the Edmonton Oilers defense. He is not going to shift the needle on a game to game basis, but he would add depth to this lineup. Throughout the Oilers season there has been several injuries to this teams back end.

With these injuries they have had to call up rookie players. In the middle of the season that isn’t a huge deal to bring in rookies, but when it come to the playoffs bringing a rookie could be a major mistake. If you have Hutton, he could be the next man up. He has 406 NHL games under his belt, so he is far from a rookie, so the experience will be helpful in a playoff scenario.