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Trade Deadline Primer: Edmonton Oilers

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With the All-Star break in the rear-view, the trade deadline looms large and is now less than a month away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Edmonton Oilers.

For the second consecutive season, the Oilers started slowly. The team started so poorly this season that it resulted in the firing of head coach Jay Woodcroft after just 13 games. Since their 3-9-1 start to the season, Edmonton has rebounded under Kris Knoblauch with a 27-7 record that includes a near-record 16-game winning streak. The Oilers now once again look like a legitimate Stanley Cup contender and will no doubt be looking to add to their lineup at the trade deadline. The club has already been linked to Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jake Guentzel and will surely be in on some of the other big names in the upcoming weeks. The Oilers don’t have much in the way of cap space and will need to get creative to fill in some of the remaining holes on their roster. But with the uncertainty around the futures of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, they are likely to do everything they can to add to an already formidable lineup.

Record

30-16-1, 3rd in the Pacific

Deadline Status

Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

 $2.374MM on deadline day, 0/3 retention slots used, 46/50 contracts used, per CapFriendly.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2024: EDM 1st, EDM 2nd, EDM 5th, EDM 6th, NASH 6th
2025: EDM 1st, EDM 3rd, EDM 4th, EDM 5th, EDM 6th, EDM 7th

Trade Chips

Edmonton probably isn’t looking to move much off of their NHL roster to facilitate a trade, however, they will likely need to shed some salary to acquire any high-priced talent. There have been rumors in recent weeks that they would like to shed Cody Ceci and his $3.25MM cap hit, and they also have Jack Campbell toiling in the AHL with his $5MM cap hit, but if Edmonton wanted to move on from either player it would require a sizeable asset to move the money out.

The Oilers do have some assets if they want to make a big move, as they still possess their first-round pick in the next few drafts and have most of their other draft capital as well. There will also be interest in defenseman Philip Broberg despite his lack of NHL success. The 22-year-old hasn’t exactly had a seamless transition to professional hockey, but he is having a strong season in the AHL.

Edmonton has one of the worst farm systems in the NHL, but it isn’t without a couple of intriguing players. Xavier Bourgault is not having the type of season he or the Oilers were hoping for with just six goals and 10 assists in 39 AHL games. The 2021 first-round pick is ranked by many as the Oilers’ top prospect and has shown that he is a great special teams player, but his scoring just isn’t there at even strength. He along with Broberg could be pieces of a bigger package to acquire a big-name player. But if they are the central pieces, it might require the Oilers to give up multiple first-round picks.

Another Oilers prospect is Raphael Lavoie whose size will certainly be alluring to teams who are looking for a big center with untapped potential. Lavoie is having a decent season in the AHL with 15 goals and 11 assists in 33 games, but at 23 years of age, it is hard to consider him a prospect at this point, especially one that can fetch to top-6 forward such as Guentzel.

If Edmonton does want to make a splash, it may require moving out young forward Dylan Holloway, who hasn’t found his offensive game in the NHL but does have good underlying numbers and will almost certainly be an NHL player. Holloway has posted good offensive numbers in the AHL but hasn’t spent of ton of time playing in Edmonton’s top-9 and could find that side of his game if given a chance.

One other intriguing prospect who could draw some interest is Matvei Petrov. The 20-year-old has had a slow start to his professional career with Bakersfield this season, and had a terrific, albeit brief OHL career with the North Bay Battalion. The former sixth-round pick has just five goals and three assists in 30 AHL games with the Condors but had 67 goals and 116 assists in 128 career OHL games. Petrov has good vision and hockey sense but is on the lighter side at the moment and could become much stronger on the puck if he could fill out his 6’2” frame.

Other Potential Trade Chips: D Beau Akey, F Maxim Berezkin

Team Needs

1) Top-6 Forward: The Oilers shuffled their lines yesterday and moved Corey Perry onto their second line. While Perry still has a role in the NHL, his days of being a top-6 forward are well behind him. The Oilers have a considerable gap between their top five forwards and all the remaining ones. Therein lies the need for another top-six winger. The Oilers would probably love to get a right shot forward, however, the market may force them to look at the left side which is why Guentzel’s name is being thrown around. If Edmonton can’t land a top-six forward, they could opt for a top-9 forward as a fallback option. Something they thought they were getting last summer when they signed Connor Brown.

2) A Reliable Second Goaltender: An argument could be made for an additional defender, but goaltending has been problematic for the Oilers for quite some time, which is why they signed Campbell two summers ago. Stuart Skinner has performed admirably for the Oilers and has earned the starter net. However, Edmonton would do well to find a solid backup who could take the net if Skinner were to falter or be dealt an injury. Alex Nedeljkovic out of Pittsburgh could be a good option should the Penguins falter and opt to sell at the deadline.  The Vegas Golden Knights showed last year that a team can never have too much reliable goaltending, and while the Oilers have three goaltenders who can play in the NHL, two of the three have a history of seeing their play fall off considerably. Something the Oilers can’t have as their contention window gets smaller and smaller.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Oilers Targeting Top-Six Forward Help

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Goaltending has been the central theme for trade speculation around the Oilers this season after their netminders got off to particularly rough starts.  However, things have settled down nicely since then with Stuart Skinner’s play improving considerably since their early-season coaching change and Calvin Pickard faring quite nicely in the backup role.

It appears that their performances have taken off some of the pressure of seeking another netminder.  Instead, The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reported in the latest TSN Insider Trading segment that GM Ken Holland has turned his focus toward adding a top-six forward.  More specifically, the goal would be to find someone better suited to play alongside Leon Draisaitl on the second line.

Speculatively, they may be looking to replace Warren Foegele on that trio.  The 27-year-old is well on his way toward having a career year offensively (he’s just four points away from matching his previous career high) but he’s a player who has spent most of his career in the bottom six.  Getting him back in that role would certainly deepen Edmonton’s lineup.

LeBrun mentioned a handful of players as possible targets, several of which will be dependent on how their current teams fare in their playoff push in the coming weeks.  The Oilers are quite familiar with Jordan Eberle; LeBrun suggests that the idea of bringing him back to Edmonton has grown in the front office recently.  Ottawa’s Vladimir Tarasenko (who has full trade protection) and Detroit’s Daniel Sprong and David Perron were also floated as possible targets if those respective teams sell by next month’s deadline.  All four players are on expiring contracts and with Edmonton’s long-term cap situation, it would make sense for them to be focusing on rental players if they do try to make a key addition up front.

However, cap space is somewhat limited for the Oilers at the moment.  Even with their current 21-man roster, Edmonton projects to have a little over $2.3MM in cap space at the trade deadline, per CapFriendly.  An injury or two would eat most of that flexibility up.  Sprong is the only one out of that group whose salary would fit into their existing space, even if there was the maximum 50% retention on the other three.

Accordingly, Edmonton may need to send out a roster player to help fit in any top-six acquisition on its salary cap.  Foegele, on an expiring deal himself, could very well be an option as could one of Brett Kulak or Cody Ceci, defensemen who are signed beyond this season (two more years for Kulak, one for Ceci); moving one of them would also open up a spot for Philip Broberg to return to the big club.

For a team with the top-end firepower that the Oilers have, they’re not even in the top ten in NHL scoring, sitting 12th in that regard heading into Thursday’s action.  Meanwhile, only two teams have allowed fewer goals than Edmonton has.  Accordingly, if they believe the structural and goaltending improvements are sustainable, looking to add some more offense may very well be the right approach for Holland to take over the next few weeks.

West Notes: Holloway, Karlsson, Maroon

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The Edmonton Oilers have announced the recall of forward Dylan Holloway from their AHL affiliate in Bakersfield. Holloway returned from a lower-body injury just before the NHL All-Star break and spent the break with the Condors where he tallied two goals and two assists in four games.

The former 14th overall pick had a poor start to the NHL season as he went pointless in his first dozen games and had just a single goal in his first 14 games. After his return from injury, he was much more effective with a goal and an assist in just four games before his AHL assignment.

With Holloway back, the Oilers will be looking to tie an NHL record with their 17th consecutive victory when they take on the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday night.

In other Western Conference notes:

  • The Vancouver Canucks recalled forward Linus Karlsson from the Abbotsford Canucks of the AHL. Karlsson has been sent back and forth multiple times throughout the regular season and will have another NHL opportunity after having gone a month since last dressing for Vancouver. The 24-year-old had a solid January with three goals in five AHL games and is having a good season overall with 10 goals and 17 assists in 30 games. At the NHL level, Karlsson has dressed in four games but is still in search of his first career point.
  • The Minnesota Wild placed forward Pat Maroon on the injured reserve today as he deals with an undisclosed injury he suffered back on January 27th. Maroon has had his name thrown around ib trade rumors as of late as he is in the last year of his two-year contract and could be a valuable depth addition to a team. Maroon has four goals and 12 assists in 49 games in his first season with the Wild and could add valuable experience to a team in need of leadership and toughness. Maroon won three Stanley Cups in a row from 2019-2022 with the St. Louis Blues and Tampa Bay Lightning.

Connor McDavid Wins Skills Competition, Finishes First In Four Events

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The NHL’s All-Star Skills Competition was held on Friday night in a revamped format that saw a dozen players compete in a head-to-head format while taking part in at least four of the events.  Oilers center Connor McDavid took home the title and $1MM while the rest of the results were as follows.

Oilers Have Discussed Sean Walker With Flyers

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  • The Maple Leafs and Oilers are among the teams that have spoken to the Flyers about defenseman Sean Walker, The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reported in a recent appearance on the NHL Network (video link). The 29-year-old right-shot rearguard is having a bounce-back season, recording 17 points in 50 games so far while averaging nearly 20 minutes a night while being on an expiring $2.65MM deal.  With a limited supply of quality righties available, Pagnotta notes that Philadelphia has placed a first-round pick as the price tag for Walker’s services although they may have to lower that to get a trade done.

Oilers Assign Dylan Holloway To AHL

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The Edmonton Oilers have assigned forward Dylan Holloway to the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL, presumably for the NHL all-star break. Holloway missed nearly two months with a lower-body injury before returning for a brief AHL stint that preceded an eventual recall to the Oilers last week.

Holloway had two goals and two assists in his brief trip to the AHL earlier in the month as he worked his way back into game shape. At the NHL level, Holloway has dressed in 17 games for the Oilers and has been used sparingly in a bottom-six role. He has two goals and a single assist while averaging 11:20 of ice time per game.

Despite the minimal usage and the injury, Holloway returned last week to the Oilers and impressed as he centered the fourth line with Sam Gagner and Connor Brown on either side. Holloway assisted on Gagner’s game-winning goal last Friday against the Calgary Flames and then added a goal on Monday against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Now with the Oilers out of action until February 6th it appears likely that the team would like Holloway to keep playing through the break to maintain the momentum he has built up since returning from injury. The former 14th overall pick might have to cancel his vacation plans over the next week, but he should receive an opportunity to play some big minutes in Bakersfield and will likely receive a call-up sometime during the first week in February.

Edmonton Oilers Send Down Philip Kemp

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  • Recalled only yesterday before the team’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks, the Edmonton Oilers announced they have reassigned defenseman Philip Kemp to their AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors. Although not suiting up in last night’s game against the Blackhawks, Kemp was recalled for a lengthier callup only a few days ago, spending time on the Oilers from January 9th to January 23rd. Luckily, Kemp was able to make his NHL debut on January 13th against the Montreal Canadiens but was only able to play in about two minutes of that contest.

    [SOURCE LINK]

Edmonton Oilers Send Down Philip Kemp

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  • Having spent two weeks with the team since being recalled on January 9th, the Edmonton Oilers announced they have loaned defenseman Philip Kemp to their AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors. Making his NHL debut on January 13th, Kemp was unable to score his first NHL point after only managing two minutes of ice time. With Kemp now back in Bakersfield, the Oilers were able to comfortably place the new contract of Corey Perry onto their active roster.

    [SOURCE LINK]

Adam Erne Clears Waivers

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1/23: Chris Johnston of The Athletic reports that Erne has safely cleared waivers meaning he will now be assigned to AHL Bakersfield for the foreseeable future.

1/22: The Oilers placed winger Adam Erne on waivers for the purpose of assignment to AHL Bakersfield on Monday, per a team announcement.

This is the second time that Edmonton has placed Erne on waivers this season. He cleared in early-November and was sent down to the minor leagues for just two weeks, before rejoining the Edmonton lineup until now. He played in four AHL games while down, scoring one goal and setting a -5. He’s been relatively unproductive in the NHL as well, netting two points, nine penalty minutes, and a +2 through 23 games. Erne has been largely an afterthought in the Oilers’ lineup, averaging just 7:46 in ice time, the lowest of any player with 10 or more games with the club.

It’s Erne’s first season in Edmonton, with the 28-year-old winger joining the team’s training camp on a professional try-out contract. He ultimately earned a deal in Edmonton, signing a one-year, two-way, $775K contract with the team two days after their season kicked off. The Oilers become the third team of Erne’s NHL career, adding to his three seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning and four years with the Detroit Red Wings.

Erne’s placement on waivers lines up with Edmonton’s signing of veteran forward Corey Perry. Perry started the season with the Chicago Blackhawks, playing in 16 games and scoring nine points for the club. He is well along in an NHL career that kicked off in the 2005-06 season. Perry has since totaled 1,273 career games and 1,392 career points. Edmonton will hope he can add a much-needed spark on the wing.

Corey Perry's Contract Includes Up To $325K In Bonuses

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When the Oilers made Corey Perry’s signing official earlier Monday, they disclosed his $775K cap hit deal included an unspecified amount of performance bonuses. CapFriendly later reported the specifics – a $225K bonus if he hits 10 games played, a $50K bonus if the Oilers advance to the Western Conference Final and Perry plays in at least half of the games in Round 2 or Rounds 1 and 2, and a $50K bonus if the Oilers advance to the Stanley Cup Final if Perry plays in at least half of the Conference Final series or half of Rounds 1 through 3 overall.

That’s a total of $325K in potential bonuses, which will add to an already hefty cap overage expected from Connor Brown’s similarly structured contract this season. Brown signed a one-year, $775K deal to join Edmonton last summer after playing four games last season in Washington due to an ACL injury, which included a $3.225MM bonus if he hit 10 games played on the season. After a poor start through nine games, many called on the Oilers to waive Brown to avoid his unaffordable bonus kicking in. They opted not to, which now looks like an extremely poor decision in hindsight. Brown is yet to score a goal in 35 games this season and has only three assists. Whatever amount of Brown’s $3.225MM bonus that they can’t fit under the salary cap at the end of the season will carry over as a penalty in their 2024-25 cap, which will increase with whatever bonuses Perry garners.

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