NHL Rumors: Oilers Linked To Two Trade Targets

Wednesday, May 13, 2026 , ,
Buffalo Sabres defenseman Michael Kesselring skates with the puck during 2026 game.

The Edmonton Oilers lost to the Anaheim Ducks in six games in the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the organizational autopsy that followed has identified two recurring problems that GM Stan Bowman needs to solve this summer.

The blue line needs a right-shot defenseman with size, and the goaltending needs an answer beyond the current group.

Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Sun identified two trade targets he believes Bowman should pursue to address both.

Michael Kesselring - Buffalo Sabres

Michael Kesselring has a history with the Oilers.

He was an Edmonton farmhand before being sent to the Arizona Coyotes in the Nick Bjugstad deal at the 2023 trade deadline, a cap-driven move that freed up roster space but cost the organization a promising right-shot defender they had developed from within.

He was subsequently traded to the Buffalo Sabres last June as part of the deal that brought JJ Peterka to Arizona alongside Josh Doan, and at 26 years old and 6-foot-5, he is exactly the physical, puck-moving right-shot d-man that Edmonton has been searching for on their back end.

"The Oilers should be trying to bring back right-shot defenceman Mike Kesselring," Matheson wrote. "The 6-foot-5 Kesselring isn't playing for Buffalo in the playoffs. Word is Kesselring isn't happy sitting."

A player who is not in the playoff lineup for a team that advanced to the second round has leverage concerns, and a player who is unhappy with his situation is a player whose team may be willing to move him at a reasonable price.

Kesselring is not a finished product, but his size and defensive instincts, and his ability to move the puck from the right side make him the type of player that basically every Western Conference team wants to add.

In 34 games this season with Buffalo, Kesselring recorded zero goals, two points, an even plus/minus rating, 38 blocked shots and 25 hits. He averaged just 13:24 time on ice.

Sebastian Cossa - Detroit Red Wings

The Cossa situation is more complicated.

Oilers insider Bob Stauffer hinted earlier this week on Oilers Now that Edmonton was looking at a goaltender who had not gained traction with his current team but had a previous connection to the organization, and whose current team had another strong goaltending prospect.

He might as well have just said Cossa, who played for the Edmonton Oil Kings in the WHL before being selected 15th overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2021 draft.

Cossa is a player the Oilers actually wanted to draft that year before Detroit moved up and took him first.

Now, five years later, Cossa has just one NHL game on his resume and a crowded Red Wings goaltending pipeline that includes Trey Augustine, Michal Postava, and Carter Gylander ahead of or alongside him.

Cam Robinson reported that the Oilers contacted Detroit and asked first about Augustine, which was a non-starter for the Red Wings.

That leaves Cossa.

He has posted strong AHL numbers across 123 minor league games, including a 2.45 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage in 41 outings last season for Grand Rapids.

This season has been even better, recording a 2.33 GAA, .915 SV%, and five shutouts across 39 games played this year in the AHL.

Both Cossa and Gylander become restricted free agents on July 1, which gives the Oilers a narrow window before Detroit decides how to handle the contract situations of its own goaltending depth.

Photo Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images

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