The 2025 Trade Deadline is rapidly approaching. With the team in the middle of their Cup window, the Edmonton Oilers are bound to be active. They’re already rumoured to be interested in nearly every player on the market, it seems. And GM Stan Bowman will leave no stone unturned in his quest to find the missing piece.
Past trades are always fun to reminisce about. Sometimes they bring up bad memories of general managers past. Other times they bring up the heartwarming feeling of our favourite team fleecing the opposition.
With that, let’s take a look back at the most recent trades the Edmonton Oilers have made with each Western Conference team!
All trade information courtesy of nhltradetracker.com.
Anaheim Ducks
The big move the Oilers made at last season’s trade deadline involved the Anaheim Ducks. Although it did go through a third party and (technically) puts one player in the most recent trade for another team, the rest of this trade still counts.
| Edmonton Oilers acquire | Anaheim Ducks acquire |
|---|---|
| Adam Henrique (Ducks retain 50%, Tampa Bay Lightning retain 25%) | 2024 first-round draft pick |
| Sam Carrick (Ducks retain 50%) | 2025 fifth-round draft pick |
| 2024 seventh-round draft pick |
In hindsight, the Oilers gave up quite a bit in this trade. But they needed a lot of salary retention to make it work, which drove the price up. Sam Carrick did not stay in Edmonton for long, playing 26 total games with the team, scoring two goals and six total points.
But Adam Henrique has stuck around and made more of an impact. He had 16 points in 29 combined regular season and playoff games, signed a discounted deal to stay in Edmonton in the offseason (justifying the first that was given up in the trade), and has 16 more points in 54 games this season.
Calgary Flames
There are not many trades to pick from between these two bitter rivals, so we have to go back to 2019 for this blockbuster of a trade.
| Edmonton Oilers acquire | Calgary Flames acquire |
|---|---|
| James Neal | Milan Lucic |
| 2020 third-round draft pick |
This was a rare lose-lose trade. Both players had been incredibly disappointing on their former teams, and neither picked it up much afterwards. They had their moments, sure, like James Neal scoring 11 goals in his first month as an Oiler. But he trailed off drastically over the next year as he was eventually bought out after two seasons in Edmonton.
Even better, the Flames were awarded the conditional pick in the deal despite Neal not reaching the goal threshold that was supposed to trigger it. The league appears to have paced out that he would have reached it had the season not been abruptly stopped due to COVID-19. Icing on the cake.
Chicago Blackhawks
With the Oilers now employing a former Blackhawks GM, expect this to change sometime soon. But in the meantime, the most recent trade the Oilers have made with Chicago is one that came with extremely mixed reviews for a variety of reasons when it was announced back in the summer of 2021.
| Edmonton Oilers acquire | Chicago Blackhawks acquire |
|---|---|
| Duncan Keith | Caleb Jones |
| Tim Soderlund | 2022 third-round pick |
The Oilers were desperate for experience on defence, and they eyed Duncan Keith to be that player. He had seen better days by this point, and was not a popular choice to be the player they brought in. Made even worse by the appearance that Edmonton didn’t receive anything for taking on his contract, in fact they gave up more it seemed for the privilege of doing so.
Keith played one season in Edmonton where he had 21 points in 64 games in the regular season with five points in 16 playoff games.
Colorado Avalanche
The Oilers and Avalanche do not have much in the way of recent trade history in general, nevermind anything significant. The most recent time these two teams have made a deal was 2011. And it was a minor league move.
| Edmonton Oilers acquire | Colorado Avalanche acquire |
|---|---|
| Kevin Montgomery | Shawn Belle |
Belle spent time with four teams in 2010–11 as a result of this trade, jumping between both organizations’ NHL and AHL teams. Montgomery spent parts of two seasons with the Oklahoma City Barons (the then-AHL affiliate of the Oilers), never appearing in an NHL game.
Dallas Stars
It has been a very long time since the Edmonton Oilers and Dallas Stars have made a deal. In fact, we are headed back to 2013 for this one.
| Edmonton Oilers acquire | Dallas Stars acquire |
|---|---|
| Philip Larsen | Shawn Horcoff |
| 2016 seventh-round draft pick |
Horcoff, then the Oilers captain, was a rare success story from within the organization in an era not known for Edmonton developing prospects. He was an Oiler for 12 seasons, serving as captain for the final three. Although he once showed promise of being a high-end two-way centre, his career was derailed by various shoulder injuries near his peak and he never quite recovered. By the time it happened, this trade was inevitable.
Larsen was briefly an interesting player to bring on, but he played just 30 games with the team. The draft pick was also traded elsewhere before being used.
Los Angeles Kings
This one-for-one trade back in 2017 featured two players who were underperforming with their former teams and were swapped for a fresh start. Both players are a case of “Wait he was an Oiler?”
| Edmonton Oilers acquire | Los Angeles Kings acquire |
|---|---|
| Mike Cammalleri | Jussi Jokinen |
Jokinen was supposed to be a great depth addition to the Oilers’ forward group. But he turned into anything but that. He had one point in 14 games during his tenure as an Oiler. It was probably lucky that they were able to get Cammalleri one-for-one in this deal.
At least Cammalleri was a decent addition, with 22 points in 51 games in what turned out to be his last season in the NHL.
Minnesota Wild
The Edmonton Oilers went through a neverending revolving door of goalies in the 2010s. One of those, and possibly the most iconic for a variety of reasons not linked to performance, was Ilya Bryzgalov.
| Edmonton Oilers acquire | Minnesota Wild acquire |
|---|---|
| 2014 fourth-round draft pick | Ilya Bryzgalov |
Bryzgalov signed in Edmonton on a one-year deal in November of the 2013–14 season. He played just a few games before getting injured, appeared in 20 games heading to around when the trade deadline was, and was traded to Minnesota. A less than iconic career for one of the most interesting personalities the game had seen in that era.
Nashville Predators
One of the biggest and most impactful trades in Oilers history came at the 2023 Trade Deadline. It has marked a turning point in the competitive window for the team and has been vital in the development of other players in the organization.
| Edmonton Oilers acquire | Nashville Predators acquire |
|---|---|
| Mattias Ekholm | Tyson Barrie |
| 2024 sixth-round draft pick | Reid Schaefer |
| 2023 first-round draft pick | |
| 2024 fourth-round draft pick |
Ekholm’s impact on the team cannot be understated. He immediately found a huge role on the team’s defence and gave them a legit number one defender for the first time in years. He has played some of the best hockey of his career in an Oilers uniform. Ekholm earned Norris Trophy votes for the second time in his career, and set a career high in goals and points last season, his first full one with the Oilers.
The price was high to pay, being a first-round pick and exciting prosepct in Schaefer. But the payoff has been well worth it at a time when the Oilers needed a player like Ekholm.
San Jose Sharks
When the Oilers made this trade with the San Jose Sharks last offseason, we thought that it meant they were freeing up cap space to match Philip Broberg. Turns out, that was not the case. They had other goals by making this trade.
| Edmonton Oilers acquire | San Jose Sharks acquire |
|---|---|
| Ty Emberson | Cody Ceci |
| 2025 third-round draft pick |
Ceci had been a mainstay on the Oilers’ second pairing for a few seasons until this move. Despite not having the greatest reputation, and him being regularly eaten alive with Darnell Nurse in the playoffs, he was a big part of Edmonton’s consistency on defence. They needed an improvement, however.
This move was not initially expected to be much more than a cap dump. But very quickly, hype began building around Emberson. Maybe he would be the answer on the second pairing after having an unreal rookie season with the Sharks.
That has not quite panned out as planned. Emberson has, however, been a mainstay on the third pairing and a huge reason why the penalty kill improved after the first month of the season, once he started taking on a bigger penalty killing role.
Seattle Kraken
Seattle is still quite new, this being their fourth season in the NHL. So, the Oilers have yet to make a trade with them.
St. Louis Blues
As of the creation of this post, the most recent Western Conference team the Oilers have traded with is the St. Louis Blues. It happened just this past offseason. In the aftermath of the Dylan Holloway/Philip Broberg offer sheets, a (at the time) seemingly inconsequential move was extra compensation for the Oilers not matching the contracts.
| Edmonton Oilers acquire | St. Louis Blues acquire |
|---|---|
| Paul Fischer (D) | Future considerations |
| 2028 third-round draft pick |
We were wildly unfamiliar with Fischer and his game. So most of us quickly forgot about this trade. But it turns out, he might be a valuable prospect. He made the World Junior team to play for Team USA. We might be hearing more of Paul Fischer’s name in the coming years as he develops and turns pro.
Utah Hockey Club (Arizona Coyotes)
The Oilers have yet to make a trade with the Utah Hockey Club as it is named now. So we will have to look back to the previous version of this team, even though it is a new franchise as far as the record books are concerned. For that, we will need to go back just a few months earlier, at last season’s trade deadline.
| Edmonton Oilers acquire | Arizona Coyotes acquire |
|---|---|
| Troy Stecher | 2027 fourth-round draft pick |
| 2024 seventh-round draft pick |
Stecher has been a reliable member of the Oilers’ defence since his arrival. Although he did not play much after the trade deadline due to injury, this season he has maintained a regular place in the lineup, often starting out on the second pairing with Nurse.
Vancouver Canucks
The Oilers and Vancouver Canucks made a move during the week they had to decide whether or not to match the Holloway and Broberg offer sheets. And that move, at the time, seemed to suggest that the Oilers would be letting the former go to the Blues.
| Edmonton Oilers acquire | Vancouver Canucks acquire |
|---|---|
| Vasily Podkolzin | 2025 fourth-round draft pick |
Podkolzin has been an instant hit in Oil Country. Even though his scoring took some time, he quickly became a popular player as he showcased his work ethic, drive, and compete. Podkolzin was often the last player out after practice as he tries to improve his game. His underlying numbers are fantastic. And he, for a long while, found himself playing on the second line with Leon Draisaitl.
Six goals and 20 points in 55 games may not be the most productive, but his overall impact on the game has been noticeable and well worth the acquisition cost.
Vegas Golden Knights
Even though the Golden Knights are incredibly active in the trade market, these two teams have yet to make a deal in Vegas’ eight years as an NHL team. And with both teams being ultra-competitive in recent years as they battle for the Pacific Division, why would they want to do anything that might benefit each other?
Winnipeg Jets
In nearly 14 years back in Winnipeg, the Oilers have yet to make a trade with the Jets. Just to fill this spot out, since it’s still technically the same organization, we have to back to 2006 to find a trade with the Atlanta Thrashers. And it was nothing more than a draft pick swap.
| Edmonton Oilers acquire | Atlanta Thrashers acquire |
|---|---|
| 2006 third-round draft pick | 2006 third-round draft pick |
| 2006 seventh-round draft pick |
The Oilers put this package together to trade up in the third round. Moving up five spots cost them an extra seventh, but it would seem they got their guy. Theo Peckham was who the Oilers drafted with this pick.
For a third-round pick, he did have a decent career. He may have not become the NHL regular the team could have hoped, as he only had two seasons where he didn’t split time between the NHL and AHL, but he did spend six seasons within the Oilers organization at the pro level.
Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire
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