Oilers have completely neglected their offence ahead of trade deadline

The Edmonton Oilers have made a pair of deals this week, ahead of the March 6th trade deadline. The club has shored up their blueline by acquiring right-handed defenceman Connor Murphy and a shutdown third line centre in Jason Dickinson. They also acquired depth forward Colton Dach. Both deals were completed with the Chicago Blackhawks, Oilers general manager Stan Bowman's former team.

Notably, the team gave up a top-12 protected first round pick in 2027, second round pick in 2028, and offloaded struggling winger Andrew Mangiapane. Although it seems like a steep price, it is worth it being able to get out from under Mangiapane and his $3.6 million cap hit and a whole other year of his deal and receiving both Murphy and Dickinson at 50 percent retained.

Oilers lack of scoring depth is still an issue

It is clear that the Oilers were looking to address their defence with these two player acquisitions with Murphy projecting to be their second pairing right defenceman, possibly forming a shutdown pair with Mattias Ekholm. Dickinson is expected to fill the role of third line centre, giving them the element to throw out a player who can face tough matchups and free up Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl to face favourable opponents.

It is the Oilers doubling down on their top-six and bottom-six structure, relying heavily on their stars to carry the offensive load. This is a very risky proposition because it relies on the assumption that six forwards will be able to produce offence and leaves them exposed to weaknesses. The club needs to get more out of their depth forwards but by buying more defence, they are making their bed.

The Oilers become vulnerable and put themselves at risk of being exposed by opposing teams, especially as the competition gets harder throughout the post season. As well, it puts so much pressure on them to produce that if Draisaitl and McDavid ever go through slumps, it makes their offence much weaker. Heaven forbid they go through scoring slumps at the same time.

There is still time and cap flexibility

Luckily, the two moves made have afforded the Oilers some flexibility in terms of the salary cap.

According to Puckpedia on X (formerly Twitter), the Oilers could have up to $2.275 million in cap space if they send down newly acquired Dach and rookie Josh Samanski and place Curtis Lazar on long term injured reserve.

This gives them the possibility to acquire a player with a cap hit of up to $4.55 million at 50 percent retained, without making any other roster moves. This could allow them to make a swing to add some depth scoring, if they choose.

However, it is likely that the Oilers are done and if that is the case, it is a shame. The club should be looking to supplement their roster with more scoring help or risk putting too much strain on their stars. Either way, it is safe to say that Bowman and Co. are willing to double down and put all their chips in on McDavid, Draisaitl and this roster. It is up to the players and the coaching staff to win.