The Edmonton Oilers might be a little top-line-heavy when it comes to scoring. That is nothing new considering that the team has fielded at least one of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Evan Bouchard for 15 years.
But such is especially true this year; McDavid, Draisaitl, and Bouchard have combined for 82 points across the team's first 13 games of the season. That's a 6.31 points per game pace, which would mean that the trio would be on pace for (hold your jaw up for this one please) 530 points.
While Nugent-Hopkins is far behind the rest, he only recently made his season debut. Even then, he's averaging 1.25 points per game, which is relatively close to the respective scoring paces that Draisaitl and Bouchard are putting together; the former is averaging a 1.85 points per game pace, while the latter is on a pace of 1.69 points per game.
Besides those four, Vasily Podkolzin is averaging right around a point per game, while Kasperi Kapanen and Mathieu Joseph have each recorded six points in their first 13 games of the campaign.
But below those players, it isn't really a treasure trove of difference makers. Mattias Ekholm is only getting back into the lineup and he did score against the Calgary Flames. Given the above and the fact that his four points to start the year is also accompanied by a +16 +/- rating (the third-best on the team), we are going to exempt him from this discussion. An exemption also should be given to Zach Hyman, who has been in and out of the lineup with injuries.
Owen Michaels has struggled to find form after a good start to the year, but it is worth remembering that he is a rookie. Isaac Howard and Josh Samanski have also struggled to get points on the board after showing some promise during the IIHF World Championship.
A Matt Rempe trade should be a wake-up call, but it doesn't have to be a difference maker
Recent trade speculation has included New York Rangers forward Matt Rempe, who has as many fights as career points.
Doesn't sound like someone who would collaborate all too well with five of the league's top scorers.
But hey, as Kevin Costner once said in Draft Day, "we live in a different world than we did 30 seconds ago." Well, more rephrased and thrown back in someone else's face but you get the idea.
Said different world was three years ago: 'Can you score five points? You're an Oiler!'
But with Mike Babcock running the show, things are different. Sure, there are still five point scorers in the lineup, but everyone in the forward group shows some kind of ability to defend.
The likes of Nugent-Hopkins and Hyman can do just that, each member of the Michaels-Formenton-Joseph line brings something to the table in that regard, and Colton Dach brings some of the game's physical elements.
On the surface level, Rempe might be more of the same. But he brings a punishing style of play; fights aside, he brings size that not many players can match. That's caught the eye of Babcock, and he's advocated for him to be brought into the fold.
If Rempe were to be acquired by the Oilers, it would easily be a sign for the likes of Howard and Samanski. With the team's point scoring in mind, they're easily drawing the most attention of any non-goaltender on the Oilers' roster.
And if Babcock wanted to build a fourth-line capable of wreaking havoc and shifting momentum, he'd easily be able to put Rempe on a line with Dach and Max Jones, who is capable of representing the hockey equivalent of bully ball. No need to revamp the other three lines; in this scenario, Babcock can continue to send those trios out as is.
The return is also quite manageable. It is projected that a third-to-fifth round pick (equivalent to the middle rounds of the draft) would suffice; the Oilers have eight such selections over the next three years. And financially, everyone wins. Moving Rempe would allow for the Rangers to get under the salary cap, and Edmonton can remain cap compliant simply by reassigning someone like Howard to the AHL.
For context, a team cannot reassign a player to the AHL or another league while removing their full cap hit unless it is less than the league minimum plus $350,000; since Howard's AAV is equal to $972,500, it would be less than the buried threshold that governs whether a team can move someone without accruing any financial penalties. Nine Oilers players have an AAV below the buried threshold for the 2026-27 season, which is equal to $1,225,000.
As a result, a Rempe trade would be a big win for the Oilers and their bottom-two forward lines.
And if the required return is a draft pick of lesser value than an opening-round selection, then fans should expect this move to get done sooner rather than later.
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