The options are opening up for the Oilers ahead of the March 7th NHL trade deadline.

The team has some holes to fill, as they look to add a depth defenceman and a bottom-six forward to their mix before the trade freeze kicks in. While they’ve been linked to more defencemen than they have forwards, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli suggested one name that could make sense for Edmonton: New York Islanders winger Kyle Palmieri.

Profiling the 34-year-old, six-time 20-goal scorer, Seravalli described him as a middle-six winger who could slide up the lineup and someone who could be a shooter on Leon Draisaitl’s flank.

“He’s probably a bit higher-end than the Oilers would be looking to add, but Palmieri as a shooter on Leon Draisaitl’s right flank is something to think about,” he wrote. “Are the Oilers on his 16-team no-trade?

“While Palmieri is fully capable of elevating to a second-line role, and can be used interchangeably in a middle-six spot, an ideal fit is for a team looking for scoring punch as a third-line winger. Similarly, Palmieri can be slotted as the shooter on a second power play unit – or slide up to the top unit for a team that either has a weak PP1 or the unit goes cold and is looking for a spark.”

Palmieri has drawn in for 54 games this season, scoring 15 goals and 35 points — 11 of which goals and 23 of which points have come at five-on-five. Those numbers when the ice is even are already creeping up on his totals from last season, in which he scored 16 goals and 29 points at five-on-five and is pacing to best those numbers.

That’s important because if the Oilers were to add Palmieri, he wouldn’t be seeing the two minutes and nine seconds he’s averaged on the Islanders’ top power play unit this season. He’s driving offence at a six percent rate above league average and defence at a three percent rate below league average, according to Hockey Viz.

And as Seravalli cites, it’s important for any acquiring team to set clear expectations of what the winger would bring.

“Two things stand out about this season: Palmieri should not be used on the penalty kill, and he shouldn’t be expected to come up with key stops in late-game situations in his own end,” he wrote.

A pending unrestricted free agent, he carries a $5-million cap hit, something the Oilers would surely need the Islanders — or a third party — to retain on.

Comparable trade returns Seravalli listed suggest the acquisition cost for Palmieri is relatively low. Two trades he listed from last year’s deadline are Vladimir Tarasenko being sent from Ottawa to Florida for a conditional 2024 fourth-round pick, a 2025 third-round pick and the Senators retaining 50 percent of his salary, while the second saw Vegas acquire Anthony Mantha for a 2024 2nd round pick and a 2026 fourth-round pick, while the Washington Capitals retained 50 percent of his salary.

“Whether it’s a second and a fourth, or two thirds, this is likely the sweet spot that the Islanders could hope to expect on the market for Palmieri,” Seravalli wrote.

It’s hard to view Palmieri as a needle-mover, or for that matter, any real upgrade over anybody the Oilers already have in the mix. What stands out is his isolated defensive impacts have taken hits over the last three seasons. In his age 31 season in 2022-23, according to Hockey Viz, he drove defensive play at a one percent rate above league average, while in 2021-22 it was five percent above league average. It’s entirely possible he could reinvent his game coming to Edmonton, focusing on being a defensively responsible winger again and a shooting threat in the offensive zone.

The Oilers coaching staff clearly values strong defensive play from their forwards, and there are few better examples of that than what the team has done with Jeff Skinner, helping him reimagine his game without the puck on his stick.

It feels as if the Oilers could shoot for someone with a higher upside than Palmieri.

Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s associate editor, senior columnist, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the DFO DFS Report. He can be followed on Twitter, currently known as X, at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.