The Oilers roster looks set. The off-season is now in a lull and we can start talking about this roster and what expectations we should have for the Edmonton Oilers. That all sounds nice and dandy but instead I am going to jump ahead to the year 2022 and the NHL Trade Deadline. As of right now the Oilers should be considered a threat to not only be a playoff team, but have an opportunity to finish first in the division. That being said there are some noticeable holes on this roster and with no cap space available right now, there is no feasible way to address it.
That will change however once the season begins or more specifically once Trade Deadline rolls around. Based on some quick math, once the Oilers sign Kailer Yamamoto to a one or two year deal in the 1.6-1.8 million dollar range, put Turris in the minors and put Klefbom on LTIR, the team will still have roughly 1.6 million dollars in cap available to them. That isn't much to add a new player but there are ways that can be addressed.
For now, here are some players that will certainly be on the Oilers radar at the Trade Deadline. Feel free to bookmark this page and remember it when the time comes.
Elvis Merzlikins Brace yourselves Blue Jackets fans because it's likely going to be a rough season for you. The Blue Jackets made a few nice moves for their future by acquiring Jake Bean and Adam Boqvist on defense and the Voracek for Atkinson swap might work out but this still isn't a good enough team to compete in the Metro Division. I can see scenarios easily where Columbus finishes last in their Division. Both of the Blue Jackets netminders are set to go UFA next off-season so it seems likely they will be used as trade chips at the deadline.
Merzlikins should targeted over Joonas Korpisalo. While he only has two NHL seasons under his belt, the 27 year old has far superior numbers to Korpisalo. Last season he posted a 0.916SV% versus Korpisalo's 0.894%. Edmonton's goaltending situation remains a concern and if it remains such in the spring I can see this being the main target for Ken Holland. Marc Andre Fleury - The other option could be Fleury. Fleury was unceremoniously traded by the Golden Knights and while many expected him to retire it looks as if he will indeed play for Chicago this season. I don't expect the Hawks to be a contender either so the Vezina winner from last season could try and make one last playoff push in his career. At a 7 million dollar cap hit, the Hawks would need to retain some salary and I feel like Bowman kind of owes the Oilers some salary retention after the Keith trade.
Rickard Rakell - I almost expected to see Rakell traded by this point already but it looks like the Ducks are going to hold onto him just a little longer. The 28 year old right winger has not played on many offensively gifted teams but despite that he has consistently put up solid 5 on 5 numbers including a couple of 30+ goal seasons. In addition, he only has a cap hit of 3.8 million before becoming a UFA next off-season. It should go without saying that the Ducks will not be a playoff team this season.
The Oilers weakest forward position right now is their right side. They have two very talented young players in Jesse Puljujarvi and Kailer Yamamoto but both players lack experience which we all know is something that Ken Holland highly favours. Rakell in the top six would provide these players some shelter and bump one of them down to a more sheltered third line role while bolstering the top six.
David Perron - A player Oilers fans should be familiar with, Perron is one of those rare players that has improved with age. Now 33 years old, Perron has enjoyed some of his highest career totals in his 30's. Perron can play either wing which makes him even more effective and he has proven to be an effective goal scorer in the playoffs which I shouldn't have to tell Oilers fans is something that they need. St. Louis will likely be in the mix and I could see Perron signing another short term deal with the Blues sometime this season. Regardless he is a name to keep an eye on.
Ryan Getzlaf - The deal that never happened. For a few brief hours it seemed like a decent chance that Getzlaf was going to sign in Edmonton but that ultimately did not happen. Getzlaf likes living in Cali and didn't want to uproot his family which is perfectly understandable. However Getzlaf might be more open to venturing to another team for a few months to chase one last Cup. If by the deadline we know that Getzlaf still has game the big right shot centreman could further bolster the Oilers down the middle and perhaps even allow the team to ice McDavid and Draisaitl together in brief bursts with Getz on the second line.
The above are all players that could provide some depth to the team and hopefully help them on a deep Cup run. In terms of cap space all the players above could fit within the Oilers cap situation if a couple other things occurred.
Almost any of these moves but most certainly the ones for another netminder would need to involve Mikko Koskinen going the other way. Koskinen makes 4.5 million and is set to be a UFA as well. I could easily see a deal involving trading a 1st round pick and Koskinen with Merzlikins coming back in return, hopefully with an extension as well.
The other options such as Perron or Rakell would need to happen by moving someone like a Zack Kassian along with a pick and likely a prospect as well. The trade deadline market is always unpredictable and really it will be the first moves that are made that will set the price for everything that follows.
Adding an extra winger or centre would be a nice depth add on the way to a playoff run but the goaltender one is the most likely and crucial one to set your sights on. Right now I would place the odds of Merzlikins being an Oiler by the end of April and above 60%.