The Edmonton Oilers were one of the four teams on Mikko Rantanen’s trade deadline wish list. A new report from The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta claims that the Oilers were among the four teams Rantanen had informed the Carolina Hurricanes he wanted to play for.
The other three clubs included the Dallas Stars, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Florida Panthers. According to Pagnotta, Rantanen was willing to sign in Edmonton. However, it is not known how much the Oilers would have offered Rantanen on a contract extension.
According to rumours, the Leafs had a $13 million AAV for an eight-year extension on the table for Rantanen. Nevertheless, other reports suggest that the Hurricanes were unwilling to trade Rantanen to an Eastern Conference rival. If that’s the case, the Leafs and Panthers were essentially out of the running.
That left the Hurricanes’ choice down to Edmonton and Dallas. In the end, it was the Stars that won the sweepstakes as their package included two first-round picks and talented young player Logan Stankoven.
While it’s unclear what the Oilers’ offer for Rantanen was, Pagnotta indicated that Edmonton didn’t have the assets to pull off the trade. That comment suggests that Carolina wasn’t impressed with the Oilers’ prospect pool and/or draft picks.
It’s mind-boggling to picture a high-end scoring winger like Rantanen playing on the same line with Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl. If such a deal had occurred, it would have instantly catapulted the Oilers as the no-doubt choice for this year’s Stanley Cup.
Edmonton Oilers prospect pool to yield reinforcements
A piece by Allan Mitchell in The Athletic (subscription required) looked at the Edmonton Oilers prospect pool following this year’s trade deadline. In total, three prospects were moved in the various deals conducted. Max Wanner, Shane LaChance, Carl Berglund were all moved in the deals that brought Jake Walman and Trent Frederic to Oil Country.
That was a win for the Oilers as the club kept its best prospect, Matthew Savoie. Mitchell believes Savoie could be a Calder Trophy candidate next season. It’s hard to disagree with Mitchell’s assessment. Savoie has a high ceiling and could be the Oilers’ next breakout star.
Similarly, other players singled out as high-end prospects include last year’s first-round pick Sam O’Reilly, who’s having a great year in the OHL, and blue liner Beau Akey. Akey is the most intriguing name as he’s believed to be a potential number-one defenceman.
However, Akey could run into Evan Bouchard, making it tough for Akey to gain traction at the NHL level. There’s a chance that Akey could find himself on the outside looking in, precipitating his move to another organization.
Lastly, goaltender Samuel Jonsson leads the Swedish league in SV% this season. While no one is anointing Jonsson as the Oilers’ stater of the future, he could, nonetheless, become a solid option in goal for Edmonton down the road.
While the time for the Oilers is now, there’s plenty to look forward to as reinforcements are coming up the pipeline, hopefully ushering a new wave of talented players to keep the team’s competitive window open for the foreseeable future.
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