The Edmonton Oilers are entering an important offseason. There could be some big changes on the way.
Since the Oilers were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs last month, the speculation for change is growing. Both Kris Knoblauch (Head Coach) and Stan Bowman (GM) could see their time in Edmonton come to an end. Defenseman Darnell Nurse’s name is circulating the trade rumour mill.
Some call the NHL offseason “the silly season” and for good reason. For Edmonton, there is reason to believe that some big moves could be on the horizon. The team’s urgency to win has never been higher. With Connor McDavid under contract for only two more seasons, the time to win is now. The Oilers were not good enough this season, so something needs to change.
Outside of potential staff changes, Edmonton should be very active in the trade market this summer. However, they’ll have to be willing to part with roster players. Here are four players the Oilers could look to trade this offseason.
Oilers Players Who Could Be Traded
Darnell Nurse
Edmonton reportedly already attempted to trade Nurse during the trade deadline. Nothing is stopping them from trying again?
Nurse is not a horrible player, but his large cap hit has been a problem since he signed his contract in 2021. Any trade involving the longtime Oilers defenseman will likely be a cap dump for Edmonton. Nurse still holds some value around the league. However, he does hold a no-movement clause that Edmonton will have to work around.
Tristan Jarry
Credit to Oilers GM Stan Bowman for pulling the plug on Stuart Skinner but adding Tristan Jarry last season has not worked in Edmonton’s favor.
Jarry often struggled with the Oilers and lost his starting job to Connor Ingram down the stretch. He was among the worst goaltenders in the NHL during the second half of the season. Unfortunately for Edmonton, Jarry still has two seasons remaining at a pricey $5.375 million cap hit.
Edmonton would love to find a way to completely overhaul its goaltending position. However, they need to move on from Jarry first.
Mattias Janmark
Mattias Janmark’s time in Edmonton has continued to be underwhelming for the Oilers.
While he is a penalty-kill specialist, he doesn’t bring much else to the team. Janmark has a total of three goals over the past two seasons and has been plagued by injury issues lately.
Trent Frederic
Trent Frederic struggled more than any other Oilers player this past season. A concerning development for a player who finished year one of a puzzling eight-year extension with the club.
It’s difficult to believe that any teams will be willing to take over the rest of Frederic’s deal. Making things more difficult is the no-movement clause. Still, the Oilers need to gauge the market for Frederic.
The Oil are going to have to pay other teams to take their slop… each one of them.