The 2025 NHL Trade Deadline has come and gone. It’s the time of year when contenders alike bolster their teams in hopes of a long playoff run.
At this time last year, we saw the Edmonton Oilers add Adam Henrique, Sam Carrick, and Troy Stecher to their lineup. After a modest 11–7–4 run after the trade deadline, the Oilers made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final. However, Troy Stecher didn’t play a game and Sam Carrick was a scratch by the end of the first round. Adam Henrique had a decent impact in the fourth round versus the Florida Panthers, but besides that, the Oilers’ trade deadline acquisition didn’t really help them in achieving their goals.
If you remember from my piece last year, I gave them a C- because of the opportunity cost of options they missed on the market.
The Oilers are improved, mostly due to Henrique. The backend barely changed and the bottom-six will remain ineffective. As you’ve noticed throughout this article, I’ve stated the additions themselves weren’t bad (besides Carrick). It’s what Ken Holland didn’t do, along with what the rest of the West did, to earn this grade.
Overall grade: C-
After an amazing first fifty games that saw Edmonton occupy the top seed in the Pacific, the Oilers went 2–7–0 in their last nine games and are now four points behind Vegas while the Oilers are once again stationed in second place in the Pacific Division.
The talk among town was to get a goaltender, a defenceman, and a bottom and top-six forward. With the additions of Trent Frederic, Max Jones, and Jake Walman, the question remains how Edmonton made out. Were these moves wise? Well, today we’ll do a deeper look into each three of these players. All stats are from JFreshHockey.
Max Jones
Max Jones was a former 24th overall pick in the 2016 draft by the Anaheim Ducks. Mostly used in a fourth-line role in Anaheim, Jones is what he is. He’s a big body who loves to throw a hit while not providing much value scoring or defensive-wise.
Historically, Jones is a sub-replacement NHLer. His offensive microsats are horrendous from a few years ago and this is playing low minutes for a bad Anaheim Ducks team. He doesn’t really forecheck for the big body he brings, doesn’t shoot or pass the puck often or that well to begin with, and once again only brings his hitting presence.
I thought he had a decent first showing for the Oilers on Thursday versus the Montreal Canadiens where he set up a Corey Perry goal and had a nice takeaway and zone entry late into the second.
I see Jones more as a Bakersfield Condors guy rather than someone who will be on the squad come the playoffs. It’s a very Sam Carrick-like situation where the organization believes just because of his tall stature and physical presence he’ll exceed as an everyday player. It’s a whatever acquisition but I feel like Edmonton should have gotten a guy like Justin Brazeau instead—an actual good fourth liner who provides offence with his taller frame.
Grade: D
Trent Frederic
Trent Frederic is a very interesting player. Frederic came up as a potential option from Frank Seravalli back in January. While struggling after scoring 18 goals and 40 points in the 2023–24 season, Frederic does have some good signs about his play.
Trent has proven to be a volume and accurate shooter in the offensive zone. He generates chances getting in on the forecheck and creating space for his teammates to give him a shot off a high danger area. He also loves to get involved on the rush, a staple of the Oilers gameplay of course.
He’s one of the few physical wingers in the league that can actually produce and create his own chances when it comes to 5v5 play. He could be the exact type of guy to gel with Connor McDavid just like Patrick Maroon, Alex Chiasson, and 2021–22 Evander Kane before him.
Freddy has also shown to be a somewhat decent finisher and actually is one of the better wingers at finishing in high danger scoring areas according to Daily Face-off. The Oilers desperately needed a player of this calibre in their bottom-six.
An upcoming UFA, Trent has a chance to be the “Dylan Holloway” replacement and could looked to get decently paid. Frederic is currently dealing with an injury but is expected to be back in a few weeks. I like this bet for Edmonton and I think he’ll be an excellent fit wherever he’s put in the lineup.
Grade: B
Jake Walman
No one knew that Jake Walman would be available. All Oiler fans heard was the likes of Mike Matheson, Connor Murphy, Carson Soucy, and Brian Dumoulin. The Oilers made a surprise trade where they sent a conditional first-round pick in 2026 for the defenceman.
Walman, known for his griddy celebrations, is a superb puck-mover who can drive offence from the backend, and also possesses an absolute bomb of a shot. He loves to carry the puck out of the zone, something the Oilers D have a hard time struggling with. His defence, while not his strong suit, has shown to arise in a few occasions. During his time in Detroit, he formed a super effective pair with young star Moritz Seider, which is evident in his 2022–23 season.
Walman is definitely, in my opinion, the best player moved during the deadline and will be well worth the price. His outlet passing will boost the offence a ton. I don’t think his defensive metrics are as bad as they say they are since he was on an awful San Jose Sharks team and a terrible system in Detroit in his last year there.
Walman is signed for another year at a $3.4M cap hit. This isn’t a pure rental so the Oilers are able to bring back this exact same D-core into next season. Great pickup.
Grade: A
Final thoughts on the Oilers trade deadline performance
The Oilers are improved for sure. I think Frederic will be a good add for the middle-six and Walman’s outlet passing will be beautiful for the forwards. But…
the biggest issue in the goaltending was left untouched, and that to me lowers the Oilers grade despite two strong moves. As you’ve noticed throughout this article and like last year, the additions themselves weren’t bad, but overlooking both another scoring forward and especially the goalie position, leaves the Oilers with question marks heading into the postseason. It doesn’t help that the Dallas Stars went out and acquired Mikko Rantanen to make themselves the top dogs in the conference to beat out.
Overall grade: C+
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