The Edmonton Oilers seem to be at a stalemate with one of their top performers last season in Evan Bouchard, as he remains an unsigned restricted free agent (RFA) nearing the end of July. While they are likely awaiting the result of the Ryan McLeod arbitration case, there has to be some growing concern about the possibility of Bouchard receiving an offer sheet.
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After an extremely solid postseason for Bouchard, he’s expected to sign a bridge deal with the Oilers in hopes of further proving himself and earning a long-term deal at the end of it. His offensive abilities were strengthened alongside deadline acquisition Mattias Ekholm, and he’ll be entering the new season as a top-pairing defenseman on the Oilers. With that being said, in the rare chance they lose Bouchard either to an offer sheet, or he requests a trade for a bigger payday, here are three targets to try and replace him.
Brett Pesce – Carolina Hurricanes
The Brett Pesce rumors are alive and well. While his offensive output with the Carolina Hurricanes isn’t anything that stands out, he is still coming off of a solid season where he scored five goals and added 25 assists for 30 points through 82 games.
With the Hurricanes signing Michael Bunting, Brendan Lemieux, and Dmitry Orlov, and re-signing Dylan Coghlan and Antti Raanta, they have some money issues they’ve run into at this point. They’re tight to the cap and want to contend for a Stanley Cup, which could mean being active at the trade deadline and bringing in some rentals that performed well in the 2023-24 season.
For that to happen though, they’ll need to move some money out. Pesce, who is 28 years old, is in the final year of his contract that’s worth $4.025 million average annual value (AAV). Freeing up $4 million at the deadline gives the Hurricanes some serious breathing room to go out and make some additions.
If the Oilers received a first-round and third-round pick as compensation from a Bouchard offer sheet, they could use those two picks to acquire Pesce. I doubt it would take much more than that to bring him in, and the Oilers would get an upgrade to the right side of their blue line.
Travis Sanheim – Philadelphia Flyers
Another name that makes some sense for the Oilers is Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim. He is a left shot that can play both sides and is coming off a relatively solid season with the Flyers. He scored seven goals and added 16 assists for 23 points through 81 games last season, and stood out as one of their best players.
If the Oilers are willing to move a contract like Cody Ceci or Warren Foegele in a package to match the $6.25 million AAV contract Sanheim just recently signed, they could make it work. While the Flyers did sign him to an extension in October of 2022, the chance he still gets moved remains.
This one’s a bit pricier for the Oilers, but I like it a little more than Pesce. Sanheim brings a two-way game and that’s exactly what the Oilers need if they lose Bouchard. Bouchard could put up 60 points this season, but his defensive game isn’t solid.
Erik Karlsson – San Jose Sharks
The biggest name on the trade block over the past couple of seasons has been Norris Trophy-winning Erik Karlsson of the San Jose Sharks. He was connected to the Oilers last season but nothing ever came to fruition. He has been vocal about wanting out of the Sharks organization, so it seems like a matter of time before he’s dealt.
If the Sharks are willing to retain some salary, I see no reason why the Oilers couldn’t try and make this work. He is a very skilled defenseman and one with a ton of leadership skills. His offensive production would make up for the loss of Bouchard, and Karlsson is a better defensive player in the end, so the Oilers improve in that category as well.
Any of these three defensemen could be an impact player that changes the dynamic of the Oilers. They are close to being a Stanley Cup contender and only need a few tweaks to get over the hump. If they ultimately lose one of their strongest playoff performers from last season in Bouchard, there are plenty of options around the league they can try to acquire, but these are the three I think are the best fits.