The Edmonton Oilers have signed Connor McDavid to a two-year extension, meaning that they have three seasons before he is set to become a free agent. While there is no telling what will happen between now and then, the Oilers have just one goal, and that is to win the Stanley Cup.
Earlier in the offseason, there were reports, notably from Elliotte Friedman on the 32 Thoughts Podcast, that McDavid’s choice to go short-term revolves around the fact that the Oilers are competitive now, but have an unclear long-term outlook.
The two-year deal feels like an ultimatum, and factoring in the very considerate $12.5 million cap hit again, McDavid is giving the Oilers a big break in an effort to help form a Stanley Cup-winning team. Stan Bowman has more pressure on him than anybody else in a general manager role right now, and at some point over the next three seasons, he is going to need to make sure the Oilers win.
The most common way for a manager to improve the team is through trades. While they have moved lots of assets out over the past few seasons, they still have a number of assets that could help them bring in some significant improvements. This is a breakdown of the top trade assets the Oilers have.
Savioe, Howard, Lead Young Forwards
The Oilers have a very impressive forward group, but when it comes to young, high-value assets, Matt Savoie and Ike Howard are the two who jump off the page.
Savoie was picked ninth overall in 2022, and after one season in the Oilers’ organization, he is showing quite a bit of promise. With 54 points as an American Hockey League (AHL) rookie, Savoie impressed the Oilers, and on top of that, a strong training camp has earned him a spot on the opening day roster.
Related: Edmonton Oilers Announce 2025-26 Opening Night Roster
For Howard, after three great seasons in the NCAA, he is coming into his first pro season and appears to be playing in the Oilers’ debut as well.
In this win-now window, players like Savoie or Howard very well could be a part of the solution. As of now, they haven’t proven anything at the NHL level. While there have been plenty of prospects traded over the past few seasons, the top-end guys like Howard and Savoie aren’t often moved, and when they are, it is traditionally a prospect swap, with Rutger McGraorty/Brayden Yager and Sam O’Reilly/Howard being the latest examples.
In reality, the Oilers likely will not move either of the two in an effort to add more skill and get younger. Bringing in the talented young players could be the path to success with the Oilers.
One other forward who isn’t quite at the same level as the other two, but Maxim Berezin has done well in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) over the past few seasons and could garner some interest.
As mentioned above, the Oilers may be best off keeping these players, but with the pressure on, trading them could also be a great move for the club to win within McDavid’s contract term.
Defensive Assets
On defense, outside of the obvious top-four players for them, there isn’t a ton of value. Evan Bouchard and Jake Walman both signed new deals and are certainly staying. Mattias Ekholm is in ongoing extension talks and is eager to stay, according to Elliotte Friedman. Darnell Nurse is a valuable player on the ice and has performed very well at times, but he isn’t one of the top defensemen, and his cap hit makes his deal almost immovable.
Below them in the lineup are important players to the Oilers, though they may not bring in much value in a trade, unless it is for an upgrade at the position, for instance. Ty Emberson, Troy Stetcher, Brett Kulak, and Alec Regula make up the bottom two and the scratches.
For prospects, Beau Akey has performed well in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and is set to make his AHL debut this season. While he isn’t a blue-chip prospect by any means, he could add value to a trade. His impacts over the next three seasons are unlikely to be what puts the Oilers over the edge, and if they are looking to do everything they can to win in that window, Akey could be one of the players on the move.
Draft Picks
Draft picks are always big factors for contenders when it comes to trades. Players like Gustav Nyquist, Brad Marchand, Anthony Beauvillier, and Mikael Granlund are among the many players who were acquired for just draft picks last season.
The Oilers have had some of the least valuable picks over the past few seasons. They do well in the playoffs, which leads to later picks.
They currently own all but 2026’s first-round picks, which was traded to the San Jose Sharks for Walman. They own all of their second and third-round picks, plus an additional 2028 third-round pick, which was a part of the handshake deal after the offer sheets last season.
For later picks, they have what they need to throw into deals to get them to work.
They don’t have much extra, but the Oilers have almost all of their own draft picks and have the ability to bring in quality players if they opt to use them, especially if combined with another asset.
Potential Cap Casualties
When bringing in players to improve your team, they come with a literal price tag. The Oilers are starting the season with $834 in cap space. They can’t do anything with that. What they do have is nine forwards and five defensemen signed beyond this season already. With the previously projected $104 million, they should have room to get everyone in without too many problems.
If they do bring in big-money players, though, there are going to have to be players making their way out as well. The Oilers don’t have any terribly bad contracts, especially on the forward group, but Nurse would be the only one making a significant amount that could be dealt.
With the forward group, if they bring in a winger, they would likely look to move someone else on the wing who that trade bumps down.
The Oilers don’t need to do much to the roster. They have proven that they are within a goal of being Stanley Cup champions, and are coming into the season hungrier than anybody else. The Oilers could have a healthy season and thrive, opting to keep the roster as is, and even win it all. But if they do look for improvements via trade, those are the top options for them.
