The Edmonton Oilers are one of the most interesting teams going into the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline. Fresh off the 16-game win streak that was heartbreakingly snapped by Adin Hill and the Vegas Golden Knights, the team is fired up and ready to push for the playoffs.
The challenge is that nearly any path to the Stanley Cup almost certainly will run through the Golden Knights, and while the Oilers played valiantly against Vegas, they need to add more to their lineup to have a greater chance of beating the Knights in a seven-game series.
On today’s 32 Thoughts the Podcast, Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek spoke about how the team is all in, and is willing to move either or both of their 2024 first round pick and Philip Broberg, a former first round pick to add to their team this year. Let’s dig into it.
What do the Oilers want in return
While the Oilers have additional needs on defence, Friedman felt that the Oilers’ real need was at forward. The difference between the Knights and Oilers in that game, aside from Hill’s heroics, was the way that Vegas was able to roll four lines regularly all game long, not relying on the team’s top players over and over again.
This is something that the Oilers’ management has zeroed in on, and is an area that the team needs to prioritize. In a perfect world, if he were available, Friedman said that the guy that the Oilers would want is Jake Guentzel of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Currently in the final year of his contract that pays him $6M per season, the American forward has 50 points in 47 games and is a former Stanley Cup Champion.
Gunetzel would be a dream addition for the team, both on the ice and off it. Assuming his 12-team no-trade clause doesn’t include the Oilers, it would be a huge addition if the Oilers could land him. This would naturally not come cheap. Rick Dhaliwal posited that the cost to acquire the former University of Nebraska product would be a first-round pick, a top prospect, and an NHL ready forward.
Could this be a deal that works for the Oilers?
This makes a surprising amount of sense for the OIlers. Guentzel would be a massive addition to the team’s forward group, giving them much more depth down the lineup, and the cost could work as well. Because of how cash-strapped the Oilers are this season, any deal that the team makes will need to involve money going out.
The Oilers are expected to have about $2.3M in available cap space at the deadline, and could technically fit the balance of Guentzel’s cap hit under their cap at the deadline, but it would severely limit their ability to call players up in case of injuries or other issues. They likely need to move someone out with him in this deal.
If they can make it work, Guentzel would be a huge addition for the team. If he does become available, the Oilers should do everything that they can to try to acquire him.
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