The Edmonton Oilers are poking around in the trade market, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported Saturday night.

With a litany of injuries in their forward ranks, missing four of their top seven forwards, the team is looking to trade for some forward depth. Specifically, Friedman reported, the team is looking to trade a defenceman for a forward and is willing to make a “lateral trade.”

“Edmonton has a lot of D, and some forward injuries. They have explored a lateral trade, is the phrase I’ve heard, maybe a defenceman for a forward,” said Friedman during a Headlines segment in the second intermission of the Oilers game against Seattle. “The forwards are not out long term, so it’s not like they’re panicked to do it, but if there is a lateral D-for-forward move they can make with their depth players, they will look at it.”

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The Oilers are without top-six forwards Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Matt Saovie, as third-line centre Jason Dickinson works his way back from injury. As Friedman noted, the timelines aren’t expected to keep the players out long-term, but a trade was likely coming at some point despite the injuries.

That’s because the Oilers are carrying eight waiver-eligible defenceman on their roster. While Mattias Ekholm, Evan Bouchard, Ryan Shea, Connor Murphy and Jake Walman would all be considered among the safe players on that blue line, one of Shakir Mukhamadullin, Ty Emberson and Spencer Stastney.

Mukhamadullin would likely be the safest of those three, having been acquired from the San Jose Sharks in the Darnell Nurse trade this summer. Emberson, now entering his third season with the Oilers, took steps forward last season in a depth role. Stastney, meanwhile, was acquired last December by the Oilers from the Nashville Predators in exchange for a third-round pick, joining Edmonton the same day they traded depth defenceman Brett Kulak in a deal for Tristan Jarry.

The Oilers have already tried to add to their forward depth, making the controversial move to sign Alex Formenton, but it’s clear they’re looking to do some more tweaking.

Zach Laing is the managing editor at Daily Faceoff Edmonton and news director at The Nation Network. He can be followed on X at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.

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