Edmonton OilersNHL

Looking at the last time the Edmonton Oilers traded with each NHL team

The NHL trade deadline for the 2022–23 season is March 3—just under a month away. A lot can happen in the next few weeks and there have been many trade rumours associated with the Edmonton Oilers, especially when it comes to acquiring another strong defenceman. However, let’s take a look back at the most recent trade the Oilers have made with the every other NHL teams.

With that being said, there are two obvious teams that the Oilers have never made any trades with: the Vegas Golden Knights and the Seattle Kraken. If we are talking about transactions, then we could count the Knights drafting Griffin Reinhart and Seattle drafting Adam Larsson with the Oilers losing two defencemen to the expansion. The Oilers have made a trade with every other team with the most recent in October 2022 and the oldest one occurring in 1994. Let’s dive right in!

The current 2022–23 season trades

The most recent trade for the Oilers occurred in October 2022 with the St. Louis Blues. Edmonton acquired Klim Kostin for Dmitri Samorukov. Kostin has been a great fit for the team, playing 34 games with nine goals and four assists; this is already more than his 11 points in his three years with the Blues. Meanwhile, Samorukov has yet to see an NHL game with the Blues.

Over the summer, the Oilers had to make a huge move in order for future cap compliance. On July 7, the club traded Zack Kassian, a 2022 first-round pick, a 2024 third-round pick, and a 2025 second-round pick to the Arizona Coyotes for a 2022 first-round pick. Kassian played seven seasons with the Oilers totaling 412 games with 55 goals and 80 assists. Trading away Kassian allowed the Oilers to open up $3.2M worth of cap space to hopefully improve their goaltending and blueline.

The Coyotes went on to draft Maveric Lamoureux 29th overall in the 2022 draft while the Oilers picked Edmonton-born Reid Schaefer 32nd overall. Schaefer is having a successful season with the Seattle Thunderbirds with 19 goals and 15 assists in 32 games played. The 6’0″ winger also went to the World Junior Championships and won gold with Team Canada. Although the Oilers lost a fan favourite in Kassian, it seems so far the team will reap the rewards in the near future.

2021–22 season trades

Last year, the NHL trade deadline occurred on March 21, 2022. The Oilers made two moves on this day. The first trade involved William Lagesson, a conditional 2022 second-round pick, and the 2024 seventh-round pick for Montreal Canadiens’ Brett Kulak. The condition was if the Oilers were to reach the Stanley Cup playoffs, Montreal would receive Edmonton’s 2023 second-round pick instead of 2022. Montreal ended up drafting Lane Hutson in Round Two of the 2022 draft.

29-year-old Kulak then signed as a free agent with the Oilers over the summer as the team needed a left shot defenceman. Kulak is usually paired with Tyson Barrie and on the second penalty kill unit with Evan Bouchard. He is fourth on the roster in TOI for defencemen with two goals and nine points so far this season.

The second move the Oilers made was trading their 2023 fourth-round pick for the Philadelphia Flyers’ Derick Brassard. Brassard only played 15 games with the Oilers before signing free agency with the Ottawa Senators in October of 2022.

Before the trade deadline, Edmonton traded goaltender Alex Stalock to the San Jose Sharks for future considerations. San Jose was in need of a goaltender as James Reimer was injured and backup Adin Hill was also sidelined. Stalock was originally drafted by San Jose in 2005 in the fourth round. He was selected off waivers by Edmonton in March 2021. Unfortunately he never played a game with the Oilers due to COVID-19 complications.

The Oilers made a few prominent trades over the summer of 2021. They obtained Warren Foegele from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Ethan Bear. Bear was drafted by Edmonton 124th overall in the 2015 draft and the defenceman appeared in 132 games with the Oilers, producing eight goals and 25 assists. 26-year-old Foegele was drafted in 2014 by the Hurricanes and played his first full NHL season with the Oilers last year ending with 26 points, 12 goals, and 14 assists. Foegele has five goals and five assists this season.

Another move by Holland had the Minnesota Wild receive a higher 2021 first-round pick for a 2021 first-rounder and a 2021 third-rounder. The Oilers were able to draft Xavier Bourgault 22nd overall and Luca Munzenberger 90th overall in the 2021 draft. Bourgault spent some time in the QMJHL before playing for the Bakersfield Condors this season. He currently has 21 points with ten goals and 11 assists. Munzenberger, the German defenceman, is currently with the University of Vermont and attended the 2022 World Junior Championships with Germany.

Perhaps the biggest trade that summer was Edmonton acquiring Duncan Keith and minor leaguer Tim Soderlund from the Chicago Blackhawks. Keith, a three-time Stanley Cup Champion, had two years remaining on his 13-year contract. His other accolades include Olympic gold medals at both Vancouver 2010 and Sochi 2014, a Conn Smythe and two Norris Trophies. The Oilers were in desperate need of a blueline veteran and Keith just made sense.

The 39-year-old defenceman played one season with the Oilers including 16 playoff games, leading the team to the Western Conference Finals where they were defeated by the eventual Stanley Cup Champions, the Colorado Avalanche. He eventually retired after 17 NHL seasons and signed with the Oilers organization in player development. In exchange for Keith and Soderlund, the Blackhawks acquired Caleb Jones and a conditional third-round pick. Jones is having a better tenure with the Blackhawks with 25 points across two seasons while he only had 19 points over three seasons with the Oilers.

2020–21 season trades

The last trade with the Ottawa Senators occurred in February 2020 where the Senators received a 2021 fifth-round pick in exchange for Tyler Ennis. The Senators drafted goalie Gage Alexander. Ennis was another Edmonton-born forward who only played 39 games with the Oilers, scoring five goals and eight assists before signing free agency back with the Senators the next season.

The last time the Oilers traded with the New Jersey Devils was in April 2021. Oilers acquired Dmitry Kulikov for a conditional 2022 fourth-round pick. If the Oilers had won a playoff round in 2020–21 then the pick would be upgraded to a third-round pick. New Jersey went on to pick Charlie Leddy. Kulikov only played ten games with the Oilers and then signed to free agency that summer with the Minnesota Wild.

The Oilers made two trades with the Detroit Red Wings in February 2021. The first was the Oilers acquiring defenceman Mike Green for forward Kyle Brodziak and a conditional 2020 fourth-round pick. The other trade was giving up fan favourite Sam Gagner, a 2020 second-rounder, and a 2021 second-rounder for Andreas Athanasiou and Ryan Kuffner.

Gagner was drafted in 2007 by the Oilers sixth overall and spent his first seven NHL seasons with the Oilers before being traded away and being a part of a few different clubs before finding his way back. Overall, Gagner spent nine years in Edmonton playing over 500 games with 111 goals, 206 assists for a total of 317 points. Athanasiou only played nine games with the Oilers having only two points then signing free agent with Los Angeles Kings in December 2020.

2019–20 season trades

Before the COVID pandemic shut down the rest of the season, the Oilers traded Joel Persson for the Anaheim Duck’s Angus Redmon and a conditional 2022 seventh-round pick. If Persson had played 25 games in the same season (prorated to 17 due to the pandemic), then the Oilers would receive the seventh-round pick. Persson did not so the Ducks were able to draft James Fisher.

Over the summer before the season started, Edmonton made their most recent trade with the Calgary Flames. The Flames received Milan Lucic and a 2021 third-round pick for James Neal. Because of the shortened season, the NHL made Edmonton transfer a third-round pick in either 2020 or 2021 and Edmonton chose the 2021 third-rounder to give away. Neal played two seasons with the Oilers, scoring 19 goals and 12 assists in 55 games in his first season. In Lucic’s first season with the Flames he had 20 points, eight goals and 12 assists.

Also in July of 2019, the most recent trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins occurred. The Penguins acquired John Marino’s signing rights and the Oilers received the 2021 sixth-round pick. The pick would’ve been transferred if Marino signed an entry-level contract (ELC) before the draft or Pittsburgh traded away his rights. Marino signed an ELC allowing the Oilers to pick Shane Lachance as the sixth-round pick.

2018–19 season trades

Before the season, the Oilers traded a 2020 conditional seventh-round pick for Nolan Vesey of the Toronto Maple Leafs. If Vesey had played a certain amount of games with the Oilers before his ELC expired, the pick would be given to the Leafs. However, Vesey did not meet this requirement and the Oilers drafted Jeremias Lindewell who is playing in Sweden.

The last time the Oilers traded with the Florida Panthers occurred in December 2018. Edmonton acquired Alex Petrovic for Chris Wideman and 2019 third-round pick. Wideman only played five games with the Oilers while Petrovic played nine games with the Oilers before signing as a free agent with the Boston Bruins and playing in the AHL.

During this season, the Oilers made a series of linked trades. Oilers acquired Ryan Spooner for Ryan Strome from the New York Rangers on November 2018. Strome was originally drafted by the Islanders in 2011 and traded to the Oilers for Jordan Eberle in 2017—this however was not the most recent trade with the Islanders. Strome played 100 games with the Oilers only scoring 14 goals and 22 assists. Spooner played 25 games with the Oilers and in four months was traded to the Vancouver Canucks. In February 2019, the Oilers re-acquired Gagner from the Canucks for Spooner.

2017–18 season trades

Before the trade deadline in February 2018, the Oilers traded Brandon Davidson for a 2019 third-round pick to the New York Islanders. However this is not the first time the Oilers have traded away Davidson. The Edmonton-born defenceman was drafted in 2010 by the Oilers and traded to Canadiens in February 2017. Then picked off waivers in December 2017 to only be traded two months later. Davidson appeared in four seasons with the Oilers off-and-on, playing 114 games only recording eight goals and nine assists. The Oilers ended up drafting goaltender Ilya Konovalov who has been spending most of his career in the KHL but played with the Condors during 2021–22.

The Oilers also traded Mark Letestu to the Nashville Predators for Pontus Aberg. Letestu played 220 games with the Oilers totaling 79 points. Swedish winger Aberg only played 16 games in Edmonton with two goals and six assist before being selected off waivers by the Ducks.

At the end of January in 2018, the Oilers traded away AHL goaltender Edward Pasquale to the Tampa Bay Lightning. In exchange, the Lightning gave up AHL Nick Riopel, Ty Loney, and future considerations. The only player of the three to play in the NHL was Pasquale having three games under his belt.

In November of 2017, Edmonton traded Jussi Jokinen for Mike Cammalleri of the Los Angeles Kings. Jokinen only had signed with Edmonton as a free agent a mere four months prior, playing only 14 games with one assist. 35-year-old Cammalleri spent his final year with the Oilers playing 51 games, recording four goals and 18 assists, retiring in 2018.

Prior to 2017

In the summer of 2014, Columbus Blue Jackets’ Nikita Nikitin was acquired by the Oilers in exchange for a 2014 fifth-round pick. Nikitin played 53 games with the Oilers scoring four goals and seven assists before going to play in the KHL. The Blue Jackets selected Tyler Bird 137th overall.

Dane Byers was traded to the Washington Capitals for Garrett Standford in April 2013. Neither Byers or Standford played a single NHL game with the Oilers.

Swedish left winger Linus Omark was acquired by the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for a conditional 2014 sixth-round pick in 2013. Edmonton drafted Tyler Vesel who played two seasons with the Condors before going to play in Sweden.

In July of 2013, the Oilers traded away Shawn Horcoff to the Dallas Stars for defenceman Philip Larsen and a 2016 seventh-round pick. Horcoff is a household name for many Oiler fans as he was drafted by the Oilers in 1998 and spent 12 years, three of those as captain, in copper and blue. He played almost 800 games with the Oilers, 162 goals and 285 assists for 447 points. In the 2006 playoff run, he had seven goals and 12 assists. Horcoff played two seasons in Dallas and one in Anaheim before finally retiring in September 2016.

The last trade with the Colorado Avalanches saw Edmonton-born Shawn Belle traded in February 2011. In exchange, the Oilers received Kevin Montgomery. Belle played five games for the Oilers while Montgomery had zero.

In March of 2010 Edmonton made their last trade with the Boston Bruins. Cody Wild, who was drafted in the 2006 by the Oilers, was traded for left winger Matt Marquardt. There is no record of these two players playing in the NHL. However, Marquardt is currently the assistant coach of the Seattle Thunderbirds with Schaefer under his wings.

The oldest trade for the Oilers occurred in 1994 with the Winnipeg Jets. The Jets acquired Dave Manson and a 1994 sixth-round pick, Chris Kibermanis. The Oilers acquired Mats Lindgren, Boris Mironov, both first- and fourth-round pick for the 1994 draft. Manson played three seasons in Edmonton with 33 goals and 75 assists before being traded. Swedish center Lindgren played three years with the Oilers almost 200 games, 29 goals and 39 assists. Russian defenceman Mironov ended up playing six season in Edmonton. Jason Bonsignore drafted fourth overall by the Oilers in 1994 only played two years in Edmonton with a total of 21 NHL games. He retired in 1999. Adam Copeland was drafted in the fourth round and did not play in the NHL.

That concludes all 29 of the most recent trades the Oilers have made with every NHL team. There are still a few weeks left before the deadline and so many trade rumours are up in the air. Will we finally see a trade with the Golden Knights or the Kraken?


References from nhltradetracker.com, capfriendly.com, hockey-reference.com, and hockeydb.com

Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire

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