»The organization has just four strong trade pieces: The 2026 first-round selection, AHL winger Matt Savoie, OHL centre Sam O'Reilly and OHL defenceman Beau Akey.
The team's prospect pool is so shallow Bowman must secure a legit return for any of these players. Here's a look at possible defence targets that may warrant such an investment.» - Daniel Nugent-Bowman
To acquire an impact defenceman with salary retention at any point of the season, it's going to cost the Oilers a collection of the above assets.
The Oilers have been linked to two defenceman primarily this season that are still available, Marcus Pettersson from the Pittsburgh Penguins and Ivan Provorov from the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Oilers do have those assets to trade, but it would decimate their already weak prospect pool and assets for future years.
At the end of the day, Pagnotta may have a point. It may be wiser for the Oilers to spend less at this year's deadline, recoup their assets, and try for a value find in trade instead of an impact player.