Kiefer Sherwood as a trade option for the Edmonton Oilers

The Edmonton Oilers are in need of better depth in their forward core. Meanwhile, recent rumours have stated that the Vancouver Canucks may be willing to sell some players.

There are certainly depth players on the Canucks that the Oilers could use. One of those players is forward Kiefer Sherwood. He is the exact kind of tough depth forward that this team desperately needs. Sherwood has an impressive 12 goals in 26 games so far this year.

Let’s take a look at what Sherwood has to offer.

Sherwood’s recent statistics

	GP	G	A	PTS	HITS
2023–2024	68	10	17	27	234
2024-2025	78	19	21	40	462
2025-2026	26	12	4	16	106

Throughout his career, Kiefer Sherwood has established himself as one of the top hitters in the NHL. He is willing to hit anyone on the other team if they are close to the puck. This is one of the main reasons why he is such a valuable player. There are not many others like him in the league; he is a rare player in today’s world.

Sherwood is an undrafted player who originally began with the Anaheim Ducks franchise. Here, he bounced around between the NHL and AHL before he signed with the Colorado Avalanche in 2020. Like in Anaheim, Sherwood continued to split seasons in the NHL and AHL.

Finally, in the 2023–24 season, Sherwood became a full-time NHL player with the Nashville Predators. He was a solid depth player for them who set the tone in every game. He scored ten goals in 68 games and helped push the Predators back into the playoffs for the first time in two years. In the summer of 2024, Sherwood hit free agency and signed a two-year deal with the Vancouver Canucks. Sherwood has broken out in Vancouver and has potentially become a twenty goal scorer.

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Sherwood’s career achievements

Looking at Sherwood’s career achievements, he has not had much success, particularly in winning with a team. Although, he is one of those NHL players who needed to work extremely hard to get to where he is today. Sherwood was never projected to be a star player, so he has always had to work for his contracts.

To begin his hockey career, Sherwood had some excellent seasons in the USHL with the Youngstown Phantoms. This success provided him with a chance to play in the NCAA, where he spent three years with Miami University. Here, he played alongside current NHLers Jack Roslovic and Carson Meyer.

Some of the biggest achievements in Sherwood’s career have been the most notable ones for any young hockey player. Making the NHL, scoring your first NHL goal, and playing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Sherwood’s deepest playoff run actually came in the AHL with the San Diego Gulls. They made it all the way to the Western Conference Final, where they lost to the Chicago Wolves in six games. Sherwood had an acceptable eight points through 16 games during that run.

Sherwood finally got some NHL playoff experience in 2024 with the Nashville Predators. This was a low-scoring series against the Vancouver Canucks, which resulted in a six-game victory for Vancouver. Sherwood posted one goal in the series that sealed the deal in a game two victory for Nashville. As of now, Sherwood is on pace to have a potential 30-goal season and have the best year of his career.

What would Sherwood cost the Oilers

If it is true that the Canucks are willing to sell, the Oilers would likely be asked to give up picks and prospects for Sherwood. Like many other NHL teams, the Oilers have no cap space to spend. Sherwood is currently in the last year of his contract, making $1.5M a year. Unfortunately, the Canucks do not have any cap space either, so each team would be required to move some contracts.

The Oilers would have to send somebody down in the acquisition of Sherwood. Guys like David Tomasek, Matthew Savoie, and Connor Clattenburg could be on the move to the AHL to clear some space. On the trade front, the Oilers could try to move Adam Henrique or Mattias Janmark. Now, this would have its restraints, as Henrique has a full no-movement clause, while Janmark has a ten-team no-trade list. If Edmonton could get Vancouver to take one of these guys, they would likely have to throw in a pick and a prospect to sweeten the deal.

Some potential prospects that the Oilers could move include Quinn Hutson or Beau Akey. I doubt that they would really want to give up either of these guys, but you have to go all in to win the Stanley Cup. Considering that this trade would likely happen at the trade deadline, the Oilers would also have to throw in a draft pick (like a second or third-rounder). Who knows if this could actually happen because Sherwood’s value could be pretty high at the deadline.

Do you think it is worth it for the Oilers to pursue Sherwood?

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