Edmonton Oilers have trade lined up to jolt roster before training camp, per insider

PUBLICATION

Liam McCormick
August 26, 2024 (7:24 PM)

SHARE THIS STORY

The Edmonton Oilers have had an active few weeks after letting two players walk to the St. Louis Blues on offer sheets, and they may not be done yet.

According to Frank Seravalli on a recent episode of OilersNow, the Oilers could be exploring a trade to shake up defence group before training camp begins.

«I gotta tell you there's other things that Edmonton is looking at, I think, including a potential trade that could shake things up a little bit more than just maybe the PTO route . . . They wouldn't have to wait until training camp.»
- Frank Seravalli

After losing Cody Ceci, Philip Broberg, and Vincent Desharnais, the Oilers defence quality certainly took a hit. There's quality depth players to fill out the 5th and 6th spot, and Seravalli has also reported that the Oilers are considering some veterans on tryout contracts. However, it's clear that the team needs a top four defender to play with Darnell Nurse, and the Oilers are working to strike in a trade well before the season.

It would be incredibly exciting to acquire a top four defenceman before the season, but it's hard to see how they could have the salary cap space to do so. Any move from Stan Bowman and the front office will have to be incredibly creative or poaching a high-quality defender on a cheap contract. In a recent article from the Athletic, analyst have identified Rasmus Andersson, Artem Zub, Henri Jokiharju, Justin Barron, and more as the top trade candidates for the Oilers.

Right now, the Oilers have a litany of depth defenceman that will be battling for the last roster spot, including a few that are signed to multi-year contracts. Troy Stecher, Ty Emberson, Joshua Brown, and Connor Carrick are all capable NHL defenceman.

With only a few weeks to go until Captain's Skates begins and training camp shortly afterwards, Oilers fans will be on the lookout now to see any more on this potentially exciting trade to shake up the roster early this year.

Source for Oilers roster data: PuckPedia - Edmonton Oilers