No NHL team can ever have enough depth as they embark upon their chase for the Stanley Cup, and the Edmonton Oilers are no exception.
As the Oilers eye their return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs with unfinished business fresh in mind, one major event on the annual calendar stands between them and the beginning of their chase for glory – the NHL Trade Deadline. This year’s deadline will, like every year, allow Edmonton to strengthen their team ahead of what they hope will be yet another long playoff run. At last year’s deadline, the team added Adam Henrique and Sam Carrick, two capable and versatile players who added depth and competency to the Oilers’ forward group. While their presence ultimately wasn’t enough to push Edmonton to a Game 7 victory over the Florida Panthers, the quality depth play they provided the team was invaluable in sustaining a long and grueling playoff push.
Related: 10 Trade Deadline Targets for the Edmonton Oilers
Ahead of this year’s trade deadline, the Oilers’ focus should remain the same. Yes, additions to both the team’s blue line and crease would be welcome, but there’s no question that Edmonton would benefit from the acquisition of one or more depth, veteran players to steady their ship when Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl aren’t on the ice. It’s no secret that the signings of Viktor Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner have, to date, failed to meet expectations, so nabbing a capable and proven veteran who can provide quality minutes and depth scoring needs to be one of the Oilers’ goals ahead of the trade deadline.
Fortunately for Edmonton, there’s one player in particular who fits the bill.
Plucking Palmieri From Long Island
A native of Smithtown, New York, Kyle Palmieri has long been a steady and consistent player at the NHL level. While he doesn’t own a staggering stature, the veteran plays a hard-nosed game and can be relied upon to compete at both ends of the ice and in all three zones. In the middle of another excellent season with the Islanders, and fresh off of a 30-goal campaign last season, he’s proven himself as an extremely reliable and valuable player since his return to New York in 2021. However, given his hometown is less than an hour’s drive from the Islanders’ home at UBS Arena, nabbing Palmieri from New York could be easier said than done for the Oilers ahead of this year’s deadline.
At 34 years old, Palmieri is set to become an unrestricted free agent (UFA) at the end of the 2024-25 season. In the final campaign of a four-year contract he signed with the Islanders, he’s outplayed his annual cap hit of $5 million through his steady productivity and quality play over the past four years. What could complicate Edmonton’s pursuit of Palmieri, aside from the fact he’s playing next to his hometown, is the modified no-trade clause within his contract. Sure, the Oilers could take on his contract for the remainder of the season, but if they happen to be on his 16-team no-trade list, it wouldn’t matter what handful of assets Edmonton offered the Islanders in return. Having started his career in Anaheim before moving progressively closer to home via a trade to New Jersey before signing in New York, it remains to be seen whether he would entertain a move towards the West Coast, despite how brief.
However, the Oilers do have a few factors that could persuade Palmieri to join them for a playoff push. Firstly, the Islanders have been inconsistent in the standings this season and are far from a lock to reach the postseason, so entertaining offers for their established players will no doubt be on the table. Still in search of his first Stanley Cup, a move to Edmonton – even if temporary – would afford him an immediate opportunity to win. Secondly, there’s the draw of playing alongside McDavid and Draisaitl, two of the game’s top players who are both desperate for success.
Paying Palmieri’s Price Tag
So, if Palmieri were to welcome a trade to the Oilers, what would the cost be?
Well, as a pending UFA on a reasonable contract, Edmonton would surely be encouraged by New York to surrender a couple of assets. Already without a first-round selection at the upcoming 2025 NHL Draft, the Oilers would be hard-pressed to move on from their second-round choice. Therefore, the team’s third-round pick would likely be on the table, and so too would one of their mid-level prospects. A return such as this would likely be welcomed by the Islanders, who could then very well re-sign Palmieri again this coming offseason as a UFA. In a seemingly never-ending search for support on their wings, adding Palmieri could prove to be a low-risk addition for the Oilers that yields a high reward.
