The Edmonton Oilers’ forward depth was seen as an area of strength heading into this season, but just three games in, it has already been tested.
While scoring hasn’t been an issue, with 17 goals, the second-most in the National Hockey League, their top nine is an area of concern due to injuries. As it stands, Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Matthew Savoie, three key top-six players, are out of the lineup, as is third-line centre Jason Dickinson, though he returned to practice Monday.
Paired with the fact that Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid are playing together, the Oilers have seen a second line of Max Jones, Colton Dach, and Kasperi Kapanen already this season.
They need some outside help, and during Saturday’s game against the Seattle Kraken, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the Oilers are looking to swap a depth defenceman for a forward in what would be a lateral move.
See, an area of strength, at least on paper, is the Oilers’ blue line. They have eight defencemen who are deserving of a spot on the NHL roster, but there are only six spots each game. So far, Jake Walman, Evan Bouchard, Mattias Ekholm, Connor Murphy, and Ryan Shea have played all three games, while Shakir Mukhamadullin has played two and Ty Emberson one. Spencer Stastney has yet to play a game this season.
It stands to reason that Stastney, who is on an expiring deal with a $1.525 million cap hit, is the odd-man out if the Oilers pull the trigger on a trade, though Emberson or Mukhamadullin likely carry the most value.
But wouldn’t a better idea for the Oilers be to just sign a player who could play in their middle six? Both Vladimir Tarasenko and Michael Bunting remain unrestricted free agents. Last season, Tarasenko scored 23 goals and 47 points in 75 games, most of his goals coming during even-strength play. Bunting scored 14 goals and 33 points in 74 games as well, the lowest total he’s scored since becoming an NHL regular back in 2021-22.
It wouldn’t be the first time the Oilers signed an unrestricted free agent after the start of the season either. Shortly into the 2025-26 season, the Oilers signed Jack Roslovic to a “show-me” type of deal. In turn, Roslovic scored 21 goals and 36 points in 69 games while playing in the team’s middle six.
There are some hurdles to jump, though, first and foremost being the Oilers’ cap situation. According to PuckPedia, the Oilers’ current cap space is $761,666, but due to having overages with players on the long-term injured reserve, they aren’t accruing any cap space. As players return, that’ll change, but it also puts them in a money-in, money-out situation for the time being.
Conceivably, the Oilers could sign either Tarasenko or a Bunting to a “show-me” type of deal worth $2 million and just waive Stastney, but there’s a second hurdle.
Last December, the Oilers sent a 2027 third-round pick to the Nashville Predators to acquire Stastney. It was a move to bring in a replacement for Brett Kulak, as the Oilers sent him, Stuart Skinner, and a 2029 second-round pick to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Tristan Jarry.
Waiving Stastney and signing either Tarasenko would make the Oilers cap compliant, but you have to imagine that they’d wish to recoup an asset for the defenceman instead of losing him for nothing.
Still, the Oilers’ need early in the season is clear, and if waiving Stastney but acquiring a forward to play in their middle six is an option, it’s better than trading him for a bottom-six player.
Cynthia Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for DFOEdmonton, DFOCalgary, and Blue Jays Nation. Follow her on X at @CynthiaRDelaney.
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