Seattle Kraken defenceman Jamie Oleksiak has been identified as an “ideal fit” for the Edmonton Oilers blue line by Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli days ahead of the NHL’s Friday trade deadline.

And it’s easy to understand why. Oleksiak is a hulking defenceman standing at 6’7, 252 lbs., who hasn’t been shy to throw his body around in the defensive zone.

Seravalli wrote how the Oilers are operating on dual tracks — one in which they use Evander Kane’s Long-Term Injured Reserve money — and another when they don’t. In his trade targets list, Seravalli called Oleksiak, who came in at No. 19, as “a near perfect No. 4 defenseman for a playoff-bound team,” highlighting a good ability to move with his frame, a high compete level and a low-maintenance player.

When it comes to Oleksiak, who has driven play offensively at a one percent rate below league average and defensively at a two percent rate below league average contributing roughly at the level of a high-end third pair defenceman, according to HockeyViz, one major caveat in any deal would be trying to make the money work.

While his metrics have dipped this year, he’s not far removed from some strong seasons. In each of the last three years, HockeyViz has his impacts similar to that of a first-pairing defenceman, and just last year alone, when he started to dip, he drove offence at a seven percent rate above league average and defence at a one percent rate below league average, with penalty kill work at a two percent rate above league average.

Oleksiak is in the fourth year of a five-year deal paying him $4.6-million, a reasonable number in recent years, but one the Oilers would likely want to be parsed down given a dip in production from the last number of years. The Kraken have used one of their retention slots, and if Seattle were to retain 50 percent, it would leave them with $2,300,000 in cap space. The cost of that would be an early second round pick, according to PuckPedia’s Perri Cap Relief Calculator.

The Athletic’s Thomas Drance opined Oleksiak is likely worth a first-round pick on his own, so the  Oilers would undoubtedly need to add on for salary retention. More money would need to be moved out from Edmonton, so would the Kraken have interest in John Klingberg? That right there would balance the books on both sides. Would an additional second round pick be enough?

In short, the Oilers could send Klingberg, a 2026 1st round pick and a 2027 or 2028 second round pick for Oleksiak, getting him at 50 percent retained for the remainder of this year and next.

It would help the Oilers in the short term this season, with Oleksiak an upgrade on Klingberg, keeping them enough cap space to properly activate Evander Kane.

The Oilers could then run a healthy roster like this:

Nugent-Hopkins – McDavid – Hyman
Frederic – Draisaitl – Kane
J. Skinner – Adam Henrique – Viktor Arvidsson
Brown – Janmark – Perry

Ekholm – Bouchard
Nurse – Kulak
Oleksiak – Emberson

Would that be enough to give the Oilers the push they need?

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.laing@bettercollective.com.

The Canadian premiere screening of the documentary “UKE: The Untold Story of Hockey Legends” takes place at Ford Hall in Edmonton’s Rogers Place on

Monday, March 10, 2025. The film screening will be followed by a Q&A session with the film’s director Volodymyr Mula and broadcaster Kelly Hrudey.

The film highlights the enduring legacy of over 50 NHL champions of Ukrainian descent—more than any other nationality outside North America. Through rare footage, personal interviews, and gripping storytelling, “UKE” sheds light on the lives of legendary players such as Johnny Bucyk, Ken Daneyko, and Ruslan Fedotenko, revealing their connection to Ukraine and their lasting influence on the world of hockey.

Tickets and event information at www.ukrfolk.ca,  Tickets include delicious Ukrainian food!