With the NHL trade deadline just over a week away, now is the time for teams to adjust their trade boards. The Edmonton Oilers have a handful of trade options, but nothing has really changed since the Olympic break. They have a couple of forwards, a goalie, and some draft picks that they could certainly move on from.
The trade deadline rush began on Tuesday when the Colorado Avalanche acquired former Oiler Brett Kulak from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Sam Girard.
Let’s take a look at what the Oilers have to offer at this year’s trade deadline.
Andrew Mangiapane needs to go
The first one is probably the most expected name in Andrew Mangiapane. The depth forward was most famous for his time with the rival Calgary Flames. He scored 35 goals in his career-best season, which helped the Flames win the Pacific Division in 2022. After his numbers declined, the Flames dealt him to the Washington Capitals. Here, Mangiapane got limited minutes and did not get much of a chance to succeed. The veteran forward went into the offseason looking for a better opportunity.
The Oilers reached out and offered Mangiapane a two-year contract with an annual salary of $3.6M. To this point, it has been a disaster for Mangiapane at the Oilers. Some hoped that he would break out again, getting to play in the Oilers top-six, but unfortunately, it just has not been a good fit. At times this season, Mangiapane has been a healthy scratch. That is a key indicator that it is time to move on and ship the forward elsewhere.
Now, from a trade standpoint, Mangiapane will not provide much. He is having a down season and is getting overpaid. On average, Mangiapane will likely be a cap dump. There is a chance that a team could take him on with some retention and give a late-round pick in return, but I do not see that happening. To get this done, the Oilers may have to ship a draft pick alongside Mangiapane. This would hopefully free up some cap space moving forward.
Calvin Pickard’s time is up
Another player who could benefit from a change of scenery is goalie Calvin Pickard. Over the past few years, Pickard has had some awesome moments as an Oiler. He was an acceptable backup who came in to bail out Stuart Skinner multiple times in the playoffs. Oiler fans will always remember the legendary run he had in last year’s playoffs. Pickard posted a 7–1 record, with his only loss coming in the Stanley Cup Final. Unfortunately, things took a bad turn this season, as Pickard has a .871 save percentage through 16 games as an Oiler.
With Tristan Jarry and Connor Ingram taking over in net, there is no doubt that Pickard would like to remain in the NHL. At this point in his career, he would like as many chances at an NHL job as he can get. With the trade deadline just around the corner, I think Pickard could be moved to be another backup elsewhere. The Bakersfield Condors would be fine with rolling a Matt Tomkins and Connor Ungar duo. Both goalies have great AHL stats this season.
Like Mangiapane, I do not think that Pickard would really get the Oilers much in return. At most, they could get a draft pick in rounds five to seven. Pickard is set to become a UFA after this season. He has a small cap hit of $1M and can serve as a reliable backup goalie for a playoff-calibre team.
Package a deal with Quinn Hutson
Quinn Hutson has been a wonderful surprise for the Oilers organization. Hutson was an undrafted college forward who made an immediate impact at the AHL level. Through 46 games this year, Hutson has 24 goals and 45 points. He currently sits second on the Condors in points and was named an AHL all-star. To this point, he has only appeared in four games with the Oilers. He scored his first NHL goal against the Boston Bruins and was sent down shortly after.
I am not huge on moving Hutson, but he likely will not get a fair chance in Edmonton. If the Oilers want to go out and add a middle-six forward or a top-four defenceman, Hutson would likely be a guy to package in a deal. Hutson could likely crack the lineup of a non-playoff team that is looking to sell. Hutson, along with a couple of draft picks, could get a decent return. He is already 24, so it’s not like he is a top young prospect to give up.
Would hate to see Jack Roslovic go
A surprising move the Oilers could make would be to move on from Jack Roslovic. No doubt he has fit in fairly well in Oil Country, but depending on what he wants in free agency could indicate that it is time to move on. Roslovic had a good start in Edmonton and absolutely exploded with offence in the month of November. During that month, he recorded nine goals and fourteen points in thirteen games. Since the new year hit, Roslovic has seriously cooled off, only scoring three goals in seventeen games.
For a player of his talent, Roslovic is on a relatively cheap contract. He signed a one-year deal with the Oilers with an annual salary of $1.5M. The fact that he is cheaper than Mangiapane is laughable. From a trade standpoint, this is an easy contract to move that could assist the Oilers in multiple ways. They could bring in a couple of other draft picks and free up some cap space to acquire a bigger name. I highly doubt this happens, but it would not be a bad idea.
Roslovic does have a no-movement clause on his contract, so if he wants to stay in Edmonton, he will. Do you think it is a good idea to move Roslovic? Or keep him as a middle-six guy?
Draft picks as assets
The most obvious and likely assets to be moved at the deadline are draft picks. The Oilers currently do not hold a first-round pick this year, as it was moved to acquire Jake Walman, but have one for 2027 and 2028. I could see at least one of these being moved to bring in better talent. These picks, alongside any second-rounders for the next three seasons, could also go out the window.
What do you think the Oilers need to do at this year’s trade deadline?
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The Oilers didn’t have a goaltender problem. Jarry is on schedule to look worse than Pickard once he reaches 16 games with Edmonton. As of Thursday morning, Pickard came off almost two months on the bench and back stopped Bakersfield to a comeback after being down 3-0.
It would seem that the heart on soul Pickard’s teammates talked about has gone to Bakersfield with him.