With the March 8 trade deadline approaching quickly, speculation around the league is rampant. With so many rumours and reports it can be difficult to sift through which players might be involved, and to approximate a sense of perceived value on either side. In terms of valuation, it can be misleading to get caught within one’s own perspective, leading to more lopsided proposals than is inherent to this exercise. Fans from either side of a mock trade can squabble over value, but ultimately only the opinions of the GMs involved make a difference. In an attempt to balance this, let’s take a look at some Armchair GM mock trades that fans of opposing teams have suggested involving the Edmonton Oilers.
Anaheim Ducks
Sam Carrick for sixth-round pick
Adam Henrique 50% for first-round pick
In two separate deals that could easily be combined into one, the Anaheim Ducks send a pair of pending UFAs to the Oilers for draft picks. Conceptually both moves make sense, the Ducks chasing the future, the Oilers focused on the present. In general Ducks fans want to try to get a first-round pick for Henrique and have no qualms about retaining a couple months of cap retention.
While the fascination with high calibre scorers, such as Jake Guentzel, is understandable, Henrique might well be a better fit for the Oilers. With playoff experience, positional versatility, strengths on both sides of the puck, and the ability to contribute to both special teams, Henrique bolsters the Oilers in a number of meaningful ways. Meanwhile, at 32 years of age, Carrick has established himself as a near archetypal fourth line centre. While Carrick is a hair under 50% in the faceoff circle his right shot is something that the Oilers might covet. Carrick is the Ducks foremost penalty killing forward.
Chicago Blackhawks
Connor Murphy 50% for Cody Ceci, first-, second-round pick
While there was a trade that had Ceci and second going to the Chicago Blackhawks for nothing in a cap dump, a move that can yet be made at some point this offseason, the concept of acquiring Murphy at 50% retained for this season and next is too good to pass up. For the Hawks this is somewhat straightforward, acquiring draft assets to build around Bedard, weaponizing their current cap space, while maintaining a stabilising veteran right shot defenceman to support their young group.
Both Ceci and Murphy are 1993 born. While most models are not looking upon Murphy’s current season too fondly—something that is surely hurt by the Hawks poor performance—throughout their careers Murphy has consistently graded out higher than Ceci, both defensively and overall. While Ceci has done admirably, perhaps better than most would dare predict during his time as an Oiler, even with an equal valuation on both he and Murphy this deal makes sense, acquiring some cap relief for this season and next.
San Jose Sharks
Alexander Barabanov, Kaapo Kahkonen, Jan Rutta for Jack Campbell, Philip Broberg, first-round pick
While huge multi-piece trades are often too cumbersome to take seriously, there are definitely some interesting aspects involved in this trade with the San Jose Sharks. Naturally, some smaller version of this deal could happen as well. Both Barabanov and Kahkonen are pending UFAs, while Rutta has another year after this. While Kahkonen has performed quite well in GSAA this season, all three are not properly supported in the lineup and have struggled. The Oilers scouts would have to be fairly certain that Barabanov and Rutta still have what it takes to be their past selves.
Barabanov is a small but feisty winger with some quality as a playmaker. Coming off a career season in 2022–23, there is no guarantee that Barabanov can hold up in a contending team’s middle six as a scoring winger, but his price tag will be much lower than high profile players of a similar disposition. Even at 33 years of age, Rutta could be a low cost upgrade over either Ceci or Vincent Desharnais on the right side of the blueline. Rutta does have the size that the Oilers clearly target, though he leverages his positional play and good stick to do his best defending.
While the Oilers have multiple perceived needs addressed in this deal, the nature of their qualities and contract situations makes their availability realistic for the Sharks. The Sharks have some interesting pieces making their way up their system, though most of their top prospects are forwards. Adding a young player of Broberg’s potential is extremely meaningful, and with a bigger role Broberg’s development will be best served.
Taking on Campbell’s contract might seem a strange idea, the Sharks might be able to live with it. With at least one more rebuilding season in front of them, and with the cap back on the rise, Campbell can be a useful stopgap until the final year or two of his deal. He should help keep younger goalies out of the firing line behind an overmatched Sharks team, and facetiously even an aid to their draft stock. Regardless, Campbell is often well liked by teammates and should provide some support to Mackenzie Blackwood, who has another year on his current deal.
Calgary Flames
Chris Tanev 50% for Brett Kulak, Max Wanner, second-round pick
It should be noted that the Calgary Flames have been extremely reluctant to retain salary, but this is a savvy package for the Flames to target. Tanev is a well known asset sitting atop many trade boards, and though many Flames fans are hoping for a first-round pick, there is a lot of value here.
Sprinkling in a second-round pick is helpful, but Wanner is the x-factor of this move. In his rookie AHL season, Wanner is a right shot with ample length and strength, who also possesses some decent skating ability and puck skills. The Flames, like the Sharks, are a bit thin on defence prospects, as evidenced by the return of the Elias Lindholm trade. Kulak, meanwhile, is a former member of the Flames organisation who would certainly help re-stabilize a Flames team through their roster overhaul. Oiler fans would likely rather see Ceci move in this deal, but Kulak is clearly part of the value for the Flames here.
Oiler fans who want to throw caution to the wind will be fine with this deal. The team does have ample depth options at LD, including Broberg as well as less heralded veterans such as Ben Gleason and Markus Niemelainen who might be able to contribute in a pinch. However the inclusion of Wanner might be cause for pause from Oiler fans more focused on President Jeff Jackson’s vision of a 10+ year window. The points will never fully measure Wanner’s impact, but there is reason that the Oilers might value him as much as any of their prospects. Wanner, like Broberg, represents the opportunity that the Oilers might develop their own long term blueline upgrade, sure to help navigate the cap bottleneck between now and the first few seasons of hypothetical extensions for Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
Photo by Ethan Cairns/Icon Sportswire
