NHL Trade Preview: Edmonton Oilers Going All-In in 2025-26
Welcome back to another edition of our NHL Trade Preview season for the 2025-26 season. We've discussed fire sales happening in Pittsburgh, as it's going to be a changing of an era for the Penguins. And, there's also been the Nashville Predators, who are also in the same boat as the Pens, if they struggle out of the gate, expect massive changes to their roster.
Moving forward, it's time to zone in on the Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers. They've had an eventful offseason, making some changes around the edges of their roster, but so far, nothing major has happened. Connor McDavid hasn't started talking about his new contract, and with rumors about a two-year deal, there's a lot of speculation brewing about what's going on in Oil Country.
When it comes to potential trade candidates off the Oilers roster in 2025-26, Kasperi Kapanen and Adam Henrique are pending unrestricted free agents, so it will be interesting to see how their future plays out in Edmonton. The Oilers also have four defencemen on the final season of their contract, so there's certainly a chance GM Stan Bowman adds a blueliner with term on his contract ahead of the deadline.
Edmonton owns their a second and third-round pick in 2026, and their first in 2027, and expect all of these picks to be on the table once trade talks pick up in a major way this season. With a core in their prime, and a chance to win a Stanley Cup, Bowman's going to be open to moving some future assets for immediate proven help. Prospects Isaac Howard, Matthew Savoie, and Beau Akey could also be in play depending on how they establish themselves with the team this season. Akey's a long shot to make the NHL roster out of camp, but Howard and Savoie could be handed top-six wing positions, and it will be intriguing to see how they adapt.
In net, that's where all the attention should be. Everyone was screaming for the Oilers to add a goaltender last season, and frankly, it caught up to them. Bowman called Marc-Andre Fleury to see if he'd consider not retiring and playing for the Oilers, but that call didn't last very long. John Gibson was on their radar, but the money didn't work. Tristan Jarry of the Penguins is an option, so we'll see if he can bounce back and create some more trade value in Pittsburgh. Stuart Skinner and Cal Pickard are both pending free agents, so if there's no extensions handed out before the deadline, expect to see a major move for a goaltender with term on their contract.
The Oilers are going all in this season, it's on their management team to make it count.
Photo credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images
