One of, if not the biggest, question mark looming over the NHL landscape is whether or not Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid will re-sign with the team. On July 1, McDavid was eligible to sign an extension, and here we are a couple of weeks before training camp, and the league’s best player has still not pledged his allegiance to the Oilers yet. Oilers fans in Alberta are understandably worried, and with good reason. I mean, it’s not like the franchise has ever lost a generational player before. Other fan bases, especially Toronto Maple Leafs fans, can smell blood in the water and are already imagining a future where McDavid plays his home games in Ontario.
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Will McDavid play somewhere else after this season? I think no, however, he is understandably frustrated by the franchise’s inability to win a Stanley Cup, and the Oilers need to be ultra-aggressive this season and make roster moves that keep their superstar happy and potentially bring the Cup back to Alberta. They should turn their gaze to the East Coast and target a key player on the Pittsburgh Penguins.
A Brief View of the Oilers Offseason
The Oilers made several key moves this offseason. First, they traded winger Evander Kane to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2025 Draft. On June 27, they extended Trent Frederic for eight years for under $4 million a year, then on June 30, they inked young star defenseman Evan Bouchard to a four-year extension with a cap hit of $10.5 million average annual value (AAV). During free agency, they also signed Andrew Mangiapane and acquired last year’s Hobey Baker winner Isaac Howard from the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Notable departures included Corey Perry, Jeff Skinner and Connor Brown. The biggest area of need the Oilers were unable to address was the goaltender position, and they are set to run it back with the tandem of Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard.
However, the Oilers’ biggest need, besides goaltending, is their lack of depth scoring. This was evident after Zach Hyman went down with an injury during the Western Conference Final against the Dallas Stars. The Oilers rely far too much on Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid. The two Oilers stars played 17% of their 5-on-5 shifts together. That is far too much, and they need to add a secondary/tertiary scoring option. In theory, that should be the previously mentioned Howard and Matthew Savoie, but that is placing some significant strain on two rookie players. The Oilers need to provide McDavid with a reason to stay, so they need to be ultra-aggressive in finding another scoring threat.
Enter Bryan Rust of the Penguins. He would be a perfect complementary player to place next to either McDavid or Draisaitl and allow the Oilers to separate the two stars. There is one issue with this trade idea: the Oilers only have $226,000 in available cap space, and Rust has a $5.125 million cap hit for the next three seasons. Any trade would require the Penguins to retain a significant portion of Rust’s salary, but that also would increase the compensation coming back for the Penguins.
Oilers receive:
- Bryan Rust (Pittsburgh retains 50%)
Penguins receive:
- Matthew Savoie
- Defender Brett Kulak
- 2027 2nd round pick
In this trade, the Penguins would get a great prospect in Savoie to build for the future and Brett Kulak. Kulak is on an expiring deal, and it is unclear if he will be re-signed this offseason. He also has a $2.75 million cap hit, so he needs to be included for the trade to work financially. However, I have another option that many would consider borderline insane, but hear me out.
Oilers receive:
- Bryan Rust (50% retained)
Penguins receive:
- Defender Darnell Nurse
- Matthew Savoie
- 2027 1st round pick
- 2028 1st round pick
I can already feel Penguins fans screaming at their screens. Taking on Nurse’s contract, which pays him $9.25 million until 2030, sounds insane, but they would net two firsts and Savoie in exchange for absorbing that contract. It is no secret that the Penguins will not be competitive for a couple years, so it makes sense to take on this contract if it nets them multiple first-round picks and a former top-10 pick.
As for the Oilers, they would finally free themselves from the shackles of the Nurse contract and gain almost $7 million in cap room. That would enable them to add several key pieces at the deadline and next offseason, assuming McDavid re-signs. The Oilers need to maximize this championship window and not force themselves to rely on young players like Savoie or Howard.
