A Mid-Summer Trade Sees Oilers and Senators Swap Prospects

In a mid-summer trade, the Edmonton Oilers and Ottawa Senators have agreed to a deal that could have significant implications for both teams. The Oilers have sent forward Xavier Bourgault and Jake Chiasson to the Senators in exchange for winger Roby Jarventie and a fourth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.

Roby Jarventie: The New Face in Edmonton

Roby Jarventie, who was selected by the Senators as the 33rd overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, comes to the Oilers with a promising background. Jarventie’s career began in the Finnish Liiga with Tampere, where he showcased his potential by scoring 23 goals and 38 points in just 36 games during the 2019-20 season. Following this impressive performance, he moved up to Finland’s top professional league, contributing 14 goals and 25 points in 48 games.

Jarventie’s North American journey began with the Belleville Senators of the AHL in the 2021-22 season. In his rookie AHL campaign, he tallied 11 goals and 33 points in 70 games and also made a mark on the international stage with Finland’s silver medal at the 2022 World Juniors, where he recorded four goals and nine points in seven games.

Despite an injury-shortened 2022-23 season, where he managed 16 goals and 30 points in 40 games for Belleville, Jarventie showed he could be a key contributor when healthy. The Senators gave him his NHL debut in November 2023, where he picked up an assist in seven games. After being sent back to Belleville, he registered nine goals and 20 assists in just 22 games before his season was cut short by knee surgery.

Standing 6-foot-2 and weighing 185 pounds, Jarventie is a sizable winger with strong offensive instincts. His AHL performance suggests that he could provide significant scoring depth for the Oilers at a relatively low cost. As he approaches his 22nd birthday in August, Jarventie will be entering the third year of his entry-level contract in the 2024-25 season.

What the Oilers are giving up

In return, the Senators receive Xavier Bourgault and Jake Chiasson, two prospects from the Oilers' 2021 NHL Draft class. Bourgault, the Oilers’ first-round pick at 22nd overall, was a standout in the QMJHL and showed promise during his rookie AHL season with the Bakersfield Condors. However, his performance took a downturn in the 2023-24 season, with his numbers dropping from 13 goals and 34 points in 62 games as a rookie to just eight goals and 20 points in 55 games in his second year.

Jake Chiasson, selected by the Oilers in the fourth round of the same draft, faced a challenging start to his career due to a shoulder injury. After a brief stint in the WHL in 2021-22, he had a successful 2022-23 season with 20 goals and 58 points across two teams. However, his transition to the professional level has been less smooth, as evidenced by his performance with the Fort Wayne Komets in the ECHL, where he notched nine goals and 20 points in 68 games during the 2023-24 season.

While the Oilers are parting ways with a former first-round pick and a developing prospect, the acquisition of Roby Jarventie could prove to be a strategic move. With his size, skill set, and potential for growth, Jarventie appears to be the player with the most immediate NHL upside in this trade.