Everybody wants something for Christmas.
I woke up yesterday and opened my presents slightly hungover. Most of the things I asked for were from Santa Claus and my family. However, there are several things I wanted from the Edmonton Oilers that weren’t under the tree. That’s okay though, as the National Hockey League’s version of Christmas falls on March 7 this season — trade deadline day.
As it stands, the Oilers have a 21-11-2 record, second in the Pacific Division and five points behind the Vegas Golden Knights with the same number of games played. The Oilers have been terrific as of late, but they can always get better.
Here are the needs I see the Oilers having when the trade deadline rolls around in a couple of months.

Second-pairing defenceman

Out of any area the Oilers need to improve on, it’s to get a veteran defender who can play the puck to play alongside Darnell Nurse. Now, that can either be a right-shot defenceman or a left-shot defenceman who can play the right shot, but this is the biggest need for the team.
Nurse has been terrific this season, scoring three goals and 15 points in 31 games while playing some solid defence. After the Ty Emberson experiment failed, the Oilers have played Troy Stecher alongside Nurse, and sometimes Brett Kulak on his off-hand. Both those players have helped Nurse play to his $9.25 million contract.
However, imagine if the Oilers traded for someone like Calgary Flames’ right-shot defenceman Rasmus Andersson, or Montréal Canadiens’ left-shot defenceman Mike Matheson. Nurse would have somewhat of an equal to play alongside him while allowing Kulak to play alongside Emberson in what would be one of the better third pairings in the league.
If the Oilers want to go big at the deadline, acquiring a defenceman like that would solidify their defence core, making them even more of a contender.

“1B” netminder

In the past season and a half, Calvin Pickard has solidified himself as a good backup for a contender. After Jack Campbell’s rough five games to start the 2023-24 season, Pickard replaced him as the backup and had a .909 save percentage and a 2.45 goals against average in 23 games played.
In the postseason, he filled in for Stuart Skinner to give him a reset, posting a .915 save percentage and a 2.21 goals-against average in three games. So far this season, Pickard has a .901 save percentage and a 2.37 goals against average in 12 games played. By no means is he a bad netminder, and this isn’t a dire need.
But if the Oilers were to acquire a 1B who has a track record of being a starter, that new netminder and Skinner can split games down the stretch to give the Oilers a rested tandem heading into the postseason.
A good option for the Oilers would be their former netminder, Cam Talbot, who is rocking a .912 save percentage and a 2.79 goals against average in 18 games played this season for the awful Detroit Red Wings. Last season with the Los Angeles Kings, Talbot had a .913 save percentage and a 2.48 goals against average with the Los Angeles Kings.
It’s not necessarily a need, but it’s something to consider for the Oilers.

Fourth line right-shot centre

The Oilers don’t need to necessarily improve their fourth line centre, as Derek Ryan has been okay this season despite a single goal and four points in 30 games, playing his 600th career game on Sunday.
Edmonton also has an in-house option in Noah Philip, who made his National Hockey League debut this season, picking up an assist in the three games that he played. Philip is a former University of Alberta Golden Bear, and broke out in 2022-23 with the Bakersfield Condors, scoring 19 goals and 37 points. After taking the 2023-24 season off, Philip returned to hockey in 2024-25 and has scored seven goals and 13 points in 22 games.
If the Oilers desire to add a younger, more established fourth line, right-shot centre before the trade deadline, the Montréal Canadiens Jake Evans could be a good option. In just 34 games with the Canadiens, Evans has eight goals and 21 points, approaching his career-high of 13 goals and 29 points in 72 games during the 2021-22 season. Moreover, Evans has a cap hit of just $1.7 million and it expires at season’s end.
It may not be worth the assets, especially if they’re geared towards landing a player like Matheson or Andersson, but it’s certainly and option for the Oilers.
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