The Edmonton Oilers don’t need a massive overhaul, but they need some roster changes before next Friday’s trade deadline.
Since joining the Oilers as general manager in late July 2024, Bowman has made the following transactions.
He decided not to match offer sheets for Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg by the St. Louis Blues. Edmonton received prospect Paul Fischer, a second- and third-round pick in 2025, and 2028 third-round pick as compensation.
He acquired Vasily Podkolzin from the Vancouver Canucks for a 2025 fourth-round pick.
He acquired Ty Emberson from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Cody Ceci and a 2025 third-round pick.
He claimed Kasperi Kapanen on waivers from the Blues.
Bowman said back in August that cap flexibility was the main reason he opted not to match both Holloway and Broberg.
“It’s not that I had any concerns about the players or anything,” said Bowman. “This came down to a business decision relative to our short term as well as long-term viability for our roster with the salary cap.”
Personally, I would have matched Holloway, but not Broberg due to his cap and how many left defensemen the Oilers had. But since Bowman mentioned cap flexibility in August, he needs to follow up with that now and use Evander Kane’s LTIR space and make some trades before the deadline.
The Oilers might not know 100% when Kane will return, but it would be poor roster management to not use his LTIR, just in case he might return for the final 10 days of the regular season. It goes against the plan they outlined in August. Stick to the plan and use the LTIR space. If Kane is ready before the end of the season, the Oilers could place him on an LTIR conditioning stint for three games in the AHL, and he wouldn’t count against the cap. Commissioner Gary Bettman would have to approve it, but Kane hasn’t played since June, so there is no reason why he wouldn’t.
If the main reason you didn’t match Holloway’s offer sheet was to create cap flexibility, then the Oilers need to stick to that now that the trade deadline is upon us.
NEEDED ADDITIONS…
It will be challenging to augment all the areas of the team that could use a boost, but here is what I see them lacking.
— They lack an energy guy. Who can change the momentum of a game with a big hit or even a scrum? How about a guy who will go to the net regularly? The Oilers are shooting more from distance this season, but without much traffic in front of the net those shots are easily stopped, and Edmonton rarely gets second-chance opportunities. I love what Corey Perry has done this season, but the fact he is your most productive bottom winger after Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is a major concern. It is good for Perry, bad for the Oilers.
— A fourth-line, right-shot centre — one who can kill penalties and has some size is ideal. Having a centre that can lean on guys will help. Your fourth-line centre doesn’t have to be a difference maker, nor do they have to have great possession numbers if the rest of your lineup is solid. Kevin Stenlund won key face-offs for Florida last year and was only on the ice for five goals against at 5×5. He didn’t produce much — only two goals while on the ice — but he didn’t give up a lot and played the most minutes of any Panthers forward on the PK. He had a role and filled it.
— The Oilers need more speed up front. As the season progresses it is becoming more noticeable. Warren Foegele, Ryan McLeod, Dylan Holloway and Kane (injured) were much quicker than Viktor Arvidsson, Jeff Skinner, Adam Henrique, and Vasily Podkolzin.
— They could use a winger who will score more, while also being good at possessing the puck. Not easy to find, but a finisher without a super high shot volume would complement Leon Draisaitl or Connor McDavid.
— A strong second-pair right defenceman. There aren’t many on the market, which makes this a tough ask. But not many thought Mattias Ekholm was available two years ago. Bowman needs to exhaust every option to see if he can pry one away from an opposing team.
— They need to fix their penalty kill. It is 27th in the NHL at 73.9%. They are that bad despite a 30-game stretch from games #16-40 where they had the best PK in the NHL at 87.1%. I don’t understand how you can be that good for that long, but in the other 28 games be the worst in the NHL. It defies logic.
— They are getting crushed off the rush at 5×5. Since November 15th, the Oilers are 27th in odd-man rushes against and they are 24th in high-danger chances against off the rush. I didn’t check after last night, but I won’t be surprised if they dropped even lower. They were brutal at allowing Tampa to fly through the neutral zone. Their puck management high in the offensive zone or in the neutral zone has been ghastly lately. Kasperi Kapanen’s giveaway led directly to Tampa’s first goal last night. And that was the fourth of fifth rush chance Tampa had. They won’t win a round in the playoffs if they don’t reduce those types of chances.
— I don’t see a goaltending upgrade as a main priority. Bowman said last week he isn’t looking, but that doesn’t mean he can’t change his mind. During this four-game losing streak, the Oilers expected goals against is 3.96/game. Yes, Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard can be more consistent, but when your expected goals are that high you have no chance of winning.
WHERE WILL THE OILERS SHOP?
They claimed Travis Dermott on waivers today. If none of the six teams ahead of them in the standings put in a claim on Dermott, the Oilers could send him directly to the minors. The Oilers were looking to add a veteran left defenceman before the trade deadline, so this addresses that need without giving up an asset. Dermott will only be used in case of injury, but he’s a veteran depth defender.
I think Trent Frederic checks a few boxes the Oilers are lacking. He plays with an edge. He’ll go to the net, and stay there, and he has can chip in with some goals. He’s a solid third-line player, who could moonlight in your top six now and then. He scored 18 and 17 goals in the past two seasons. He’s on pace for 12 this year, which is likely due to his SH% being 4% lower than the past two seasons, and he’s taking fewer shots. He is a winger. He has played centre a bit, but he’s better on the wing. He has 25 more hits than any Oilers forward this season. He’ll bring energy and he’s a pending UFA. He is hard to play against and will create energy and animosity. He’d have lots of motivation to play well. He isn’t a burner though. He isn’t slow, but he won’t fly up and down the ice.
Michael McCarron could be a fit as the new fourth-line centre. He is good on face-offs (53.9%), and he barely takes any in the offensive zone. He’s massive at 6’6″ and 232 pounds and he’s the second-most used penalty-killing forward in Nashville. He’s been on for 11 goals against in 104 PK minutes. Compare that to the Oilers forwards: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (13 GA in 91 min), Adam Henrique (nine in 89 min), Mattias Janmark (17 in 81 min) and Connor Brown (17 in 80 min). He takes up a lot of space, knows how to PK and can win face-offs in the Dzone (53.6% this season). He has one year remaining at $900K.
Jake Evans is a better overall centre, but he will cost more than McCarron. He also is a pending UFA and is looking for a raise off his current $1.7m AAV. He is smart, can kill penalties and skates well. His top speed of 23.19 mph puts him in the 92nd percentile of NHL forwards. Like McCarron, he takes most of his draws in the defensive zone and he’s a solid 52%. He has 11 goals and 27 points this season. Both are two shy of career bests. He would be the better addition, although he’s only under contract for the remainder of this season.
Brock Nelson is a centre, but he’s smart and skilled and could easily play the wing with Leon Draisaitl or Connor McDavid. He’s a pending UFA, skates well and can finish. He’s scored 34, 36 and 37 goals the past three seasons. He can make plays. He thinks the game well and can play the possession game that McDavid and Draisaitl excel at. The Oilers need another goal scorer in their top-six, and Nelson would be at the top of my list. He’s a pending UFA with a limited NTC, so he’d have to agree to the deal. Many have connected him to Minnesota or Winnipeg because they are close to home for him, and maybe he’d prefer to play centre. But he checks many boxes for what the Oilers need. And he’s big at 6’4″ and 205 pounds.
Bowman doesn’t need to make a panic move due to the four-game skid his team is on, but I think the aforementioned areas of need have been there all season. Bowman needs to be creative and aggressive before next Friday. He doesn’t need to be reckless and push all his chips in, but he was hired to help this team win and the next nine days are his playoffs.
Let’s see what he does.
