When assessing the Edmonton Oilers lineup, it is clear that they have a few weaknesses that must be addressed as we approach the 2026 NHL trade deadline. Especially if head coach Kris Knoblauch continues to utilize his lineup as he has been.
One area the Oilers need to address is their depth scoring, specifically down the middle at third line centre. Between the recent losses of David Tomasek and Noah Philp, the Oilers depth down the middle has dwindled. This could be helped by a former top prospect that finds himself in recent trade discussion. That player is Carolina Hurricanes centre, Jesperi Kotkaniemi.
Oilers could target former top prospect
Sportsnet insider Nick Kypreos recently released his trade board with all of the biggest trade targets. This comes ahead of the 2026 Olympic roster freeze, NHL trade deadline, and based off of the recent rebuild plan announced by the Vancouver Canucks management group.
There are plenty of players available, including Oilers forward Andrew Mangiapane who has been publicly on the trade block and a continuous healthy scratch. One player on the list is the previously mentioned Kotkaniemi.
He was the centre of an offersheet war between the Hurricanes and the club that drafted him third overall in 2018, the Montreal Canadiens. The Hurricanes were successful and acquired Kotkaniemi through an offersheet in 2021 and he has been with the club since.
Now, the 25 year old is halfway through his current eight-year contract paying him $4.825 million per season and has struggled as time has gone on. He set career highs in 2022-23, scoring 18 goals and 25 assists for 43 points in 82 games playing as middle-six pivot for the club. Since then he has been unable to reach the same totals, failing to even eclipse 33 points that he scored last season.
This year he is off to an even worse start with only six points (two goals, four assists) in 27 games. He has found himself sitting in the press box at times as a healthy scratch and has been logging roughly 11 minutes a night. It is clear that something is not working and that a change of scenery could benefit the young forward.
He has shown some ability to produce and within the Oilers system playing with players like; Matt Savoie, Isaac Howard, Jack Roslovic, and others, they could help to give him a spark. If he can be had for relatively cheap, he could become a reliable secondary scorer.
The main hurdle for the Oilers to try and overcome in acquiring Kotkaniemi would be his caphit but there are ways around this, like getting a third-party team to retain some of his salary. Also, the Oilers could shed some salary by sending some of their players the other way.