The trade market has started heating up over the last week as two of the biggest competitors of the Edmonton Oilers, the Vancouver Canucks and Winnipeg Jets, have made big trades to bolster their rosters for a playoff run. The Canucks acquired Elias Lindholm from the Calgary Flames while the Jets acquired Sean Monahan from the Montreal Canadiens.
This signals that teams are starting to put their trade deadline plans into action and it may be time for the Oilers to get going on theirs before it’s too late. There are a couple of targeted moves, including adding centre/forward depth like Adam Henrique, or improving depth at right defence.
It’s not going to be easy for Edmonton to make these moves as they do not have much flexibility within their cap to make moves. What they do have, however, are a few valuable players and picks that could be used as trade chips to make it happen.
That’s where you come in. For this week’s Sunday Census, we polled fans on Twitter on which players could be the most expendable or likely to be included in a deadline deal.
Want to take part in Sunday Census polls? We send them out every week on our Twitter at @oilrigEDM. Follow along or send in ideas for the next poll!
The trade chip options were Philip Broberg, Cody Ceci, Warren Foegele, and Evander Kane.
Bye-bye Broberg?
It is no secret that, earlier in the season, Philip Broberg was unhappy with his playing time and role within the organization. And who can blame him? He’s a prospect who has not gotten much playing time or opportunity to prove himself and had, at the time, spent a good portion of a month as a healthy scratch.
For starters, a prospect trying to develop is not going to want to stay in that situation for too long. And second, the organization may have started to view him as expendable and started shopping him around.
It makes sense, as Broberg is probably the most valuable prospect and potential trade chip in the organization right now. And, with 50.2% of the fan vote, Oilers fans appear to say the same.
It definitely is not ideal to ever trade promising prospects, but when a team is in win-now mode, it is the sacrifice that must, at times, be made.
Since being sent down to the AHL back in December, Broberg has thrived with a big role on the defence of the Bakersfield Condors. Over a few stints through the 2023–24 season, he has 18 points in 26 games and is currently on a hot streak with 10 points in his last 10 games.
Trade Ceci to make room for an upgrade?
Defence is a position that the Oilers have historically struggled mightily with. And those concerns have even been brought up this season with a horribly slow start to the season. This is why it is still a popular thought to make Cody Ceci available for trade with the intent of bringing in an upgrade in the process.
Finishing second in the poll with 30.8% of the vote, Ceci is ultimately the odd man out on the Oilers’ defence and his $3.25M cap hit could be put towards an upgrade in defensive depth.
Ceci has spent the vast majority of his season playing with Darnell Nurse, and the two of them have respectable numbers, hovering around 50% Corsi for and Fenwick for with a 55% goals for percentage according to NaturalStatTrick.com. But moving into the playoffs and matching up against some deep competition, like the Vegas Golden Knights, they might need more.
And while that could mean keeping Ceci but acquiring someone to bump him down to the third pairing for depth, the more likely scenario would be to trade him to free up the cap space to bring in an upgrade.
Capitalize on Foegele being on a hot streak?
Now in his third season with the Oilers, Warren Foegele appeared to have topped out in his development. For years, his point production seemed to top out at a 25–30 point player. He never really found a way to break free from the bottom six forwards and, though he had his hot stretches, was not a major impact player on the roster.
This season, however, something has clicked for him. Through 45 games, Foegele has 10 goals and 26 points. He is four goals and five points away from setting career-highs in both categories.
Foegele has found his game and found a consistent role in the lineup on the second line at even strength, and is playing extremely well even when Leon Draisaitl is not centring that line.
It begs one important question. Should the Oilers keep Foegele, or trade him while his value is at its highest? His career production suggests this stretch is an outlier over the trajectory of his career. He is also a UFA after this season, and if he continues playing at a 45–50 point pace, may be due a raise that the team cannot afford.
So it may be smart to use Foegele as trade bait to acquire an upgraded second line winger, with rumours of Jake Guentzel and Travis Konecny being available. But, finishing last in the poll with just 4.4% of the vote, Foegele should clearly stay an Oiler through the rest of this season.
Is trading Kane even an option?
Evander Kane, when he is healthy and on his game, can provide a lot to the Oilers’ lineup. Scoring and offence, grit and a net-front presence, and physicality, battle, and someone willing to drop the gloves. All of these traits are incredibly valuable come playoff time. It is stuff that is going to help the Oilers build momentum, wear down the opponent, and score the gritty goals that are needed in the postseason.
So why is Kane in this poll as a potential trade chip? There may still be a slight argument to trade him for the right fit, an upgrade on the second line. And finishing third in this week’s poll, 14.5% of the fanbase might see it as well.
This season, Kane’s underlying metrics have been questionable at best. He has a good impact while scoring but other areas of his game are lacking and he often finds himself on the team’s worst performing lines.
His $5.125M cap hit for two more seasons may be spent better on a more well-rounded forward who fits a specific mold or has more playoff/Stanley Cup experience.
However, moving into the playoffs, it is not the smartest move to trade a player like Kane, who can be a huge part of the Oilers’ forward depth through a playoff season that is destined to be a difficult grind right from round one.
Making moves for the Cup
Who would be on the top of your trade bait board? Drop a comment down below or over on Twitter! Stay tuned there for next week’s Sunday Census poll.
Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire
