It&#8217;s the week of the NHL trade deadline. The Edmonton Oilers have addressed one <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/the-edmonton-oilers-need-to-play-with-more-physicality">glaring team need</a> by acquiring <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/what-trent-frederic-max-jones-bring-to-nhl-oilers">Trent Frederic and Max Jones</a> from the Boston Bruins. These are both players who can provide physicality and are tough to play against, which is something the Oilers have lacked with Evander Kane on the shelf.
However, they&#8217;re not done.

Bob Stauffer on <a href="https://globalnews.ca/edmonton/program/oilers-now-with-bob-stauffer">Oilers Now</a> mentioned Tuesday afternoon that it will get busier. On the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wl4dwFQaFs0">What Chaos show,</a> Stauffer added that he thinks the next trade the Oilers make will be for a defenceman. One name that&#8217;s been on the mind of fans in Oil Country for that position is Jamie Oleksiak of the Seattle Kraken.
Over at Daily Faceoff, <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/which-teams-shopping-2025-nhl-trade-deadline-needs-leafs-lightning-jets">Frank Seravalli listed Oleksiak</a> as the &#8220;Ideal Fit&#8221; to fill Edmonton&#8217;s need for a defensive defenceman.
<blockquote>Top Objective: A True Defender
Ideal Fit: Jamie Oleksiak, Seattle Kraken
Scoop: While Edmonton operates on dual tracks – using Evander Kane’s LTIR money or not – they have gone out and addressed one need by adding Trent Frederic. He brings a different element, lineup flexibility and some size. Their goaltending hasn’t been great, but the Oilers have also been a mess in their own end lately. They need another ‘defender’ in every sense of the word. Carson Soucy is a fit, particularly since he can play both sides, but the Canucks aren’t going to do the Oilers any favors. Oleksiak has size and term.</blockquote>
To better know Oleksiak as a player and the potential cost of acquisition, I reached out to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@emeraldcityhockey">Emerald City Hockey</a>, which does a great job covering the Kraken. What type of defenceman is Oleksiak, and how would you describe him for those unfamiliar with his game?
<blockquote>Mostly defensive, big shot blocker. Not physical but uses his reach well.
This isn&#8217;t really important, but fun tidbit: he has sneaky good hands. He&#8217;ll often dangle guys in practice and I&#8217;ve been calling for him to be a shootout option for a couple years. Rarely uses that skill in-game though.</blockquote>
Oilers fans appreciate little tidbits like that, so thank you! Given that he appears to be a trade candidate, what has his situation been in Seattle this season?
<blockquote>He started the season on the second pair with Brandon Montour and has recently bounced between the second and third pair. The whole Kraken blueline has struggled defensively this season, particularly with lapses of focus and coverage breakdowns.
Oleksiak hasn&#8217;t been the entire problem, but he&#8217;s certainly been part of it. His lack of physicality given his size can be frustrating. That said, I think he&#8217;s not a good fit for the defensive system the Kraken are running.
Kind of like Will Borgen, I think he was more of a fit for Hakstol&#8217;s system and could look better with a change of scenery. Plus, with only one year left on his deal and so much $ committed elsewhere on the blueline, it makes sense for the Kraken to move him.</blockquote>
What would be the ideal return for Oleksiak? The Oilers recently acquired Frederic, which raises hopes that they can still pursue a player like Oleksiak for their blue line.
<blockquote>The return is a little tricky after the Frederic deal. Ideal return would be Savoie, but I imagine the Kraken would have to retain 50% on Oleksiak, plus add something or take on bad $ like Arvidsson.
Next ask would be the 2026 1st rounder. Then maybe a guy like Beau Akey but I don&#8217;t know if he&#8217;s enough to get it done now by himself given Francis can just wait til the offseason and shop Oleksiak again then.
It&#8217;s hard to find a good value match since EDM doesn&#8217;t have their 1st or 2nd this year and there&#8217;s not much of a prospect pool outside of Savoie.</blockquote>
That would send Oil Country into a whirlwind. Some are high on Oleksiak but don&#8217;t think he&#8217;s worth a ton. However, I understand where you&#8217;re coming from.
<blockquote>I certainly wouldn&#8217;t do anything around Savoie or the 2026 1st if I was Edmonton.</blockquote>
What would you say is the biggest need for the Kraken this trade deadline?
<blockquote>Their biggest needs are: 1. Promising young players under 24 (like Kakko) or prospects who are close to NHL-ready 2. Assets they can flip this offseason to trade for immediate help.
Theyll take what they can get for rentals, but for any of the guys with term (Oleksiak, Schwartz, Bjorkstrand), it&#8217;ll probably take an overpay to get Francis to pull the trigger.</blockquote>
Lastly, for Oilers fans unfamiliar with the Kraken right now, to wrap things up. Where are they at as an organization? They made the playoffs in 2023, and some think they took a step back last season and this year.
<blockquote>It has been two steps back since that 2023 playoff run, which looks more and more like an anomaly as time goes on.
The Kraken are a team trying to thread the needle of being competitive right now, while waiting for their promising prospect pool to arrive and contribute.
The kids are on their way, but it&#8217;s become clear the veteran core of forwards isn&#8217;t good enough to be competitive right now. Ownership has reiterated their desire to make the playoffs next year, but that&#8217;s going to require some big changes and bold moves in the offseason.</blockquote>
Big thank you to <a href="https://linktr.ee/emeraldcityhockey">Emerald City Hockey</a> for their time and insight on the Seattle Kraken. <a href="https://x.com/EmeraldCityHky">You can find them on X</a>, and, if you&#8217;re interested in more of their coverage, they also run <a href="https://emeraldcityhockey.com/home/fashion-5ybkh">The Deep Dive Podcast</a>.
Oleksiak is listed 16th on Frank Seravalli&#8217;s trade targets board. If you want to learn more about his play, <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/2025-trade-deadline-targets-for-the-oilers-defencemen">NHL Sid covered him in an article featuring defencemen the Oilers should target.</a> If the Oilers don&#8217;t acquire a defenceman, fans would love to see the team trade for a goalie. <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/general-manager-stan-bowman-told-insider-the-oilers-dont-need-to-add-a-goalie-ahead-of-the-trade-deadline">However, there has been no indication that the organization feels the need to improve their goaltending situation.</a>
What do you think about Oleksiak as a target? How much would you be willing to move for him?
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<h2>PRESENTED BY STAR MECHANICAL</h2>
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It's the week of the NHL trade deadline. The Edmonton Oilers have addressed one <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/the-edmonton-oilers-need-to-play-with-more-physicality">glaring team need</a> by acquiring <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/what-trent-frederic-max-jones-bring-to-nhl-oilers">Trent Frederic and Max Jones</a> from the Boston Bruins. These are both players who can provide physicality and are tough to play against, which is something the Oilers have lacked with Evander Kane on the shelf.

However, they're not done.



Bob Stauffer on <a href="https://globalnews.ca/edmonton/program/oilers-now-with-bob-stauffer">Oilers Now</a> mentioned Tuesday afternoon that it will get busier. On the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wl4dwFQaFs0">What Chaos show,</a> Stauffer added that he thinks the next trade the Oilers make will be for a defenceman. One name that's been on the mind of fans in Oil Country for that position is Jamie Oleksiak of the Seattle Kraken.

Over at Daily Faceoff, <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/which-teams-shopping-2025-nhl-trade-deadline-needs-leafs-lightning-jets">Frank Seravalli listed Oleksiak</a> as the "Ideal Fit" to fill Edmonton's need for a defensive defenceman.
<blockquote>Top Objective: A True Defender

Ideal Fit: Jamie Oleksiak, Seattle Kraken

Scoop: While Edmonton operates on dual tracks – using Evander Kane’s LTIR money or not – they have gone out and addressed one need by adding Trent Frederic. He brings a different element, lineup flexibility and some size. Their goaltending hasn’t been great, but the Oilers have also been a mess in their own end lately. They need another ‘defender’ in every sense of the word. Carson Soucy is a fit, particularly since he can play both sides, but the Canucks aren’t going to do the Oilers any favors. Oleksiak has size and term.</blockquote>
To better know Oleksiak as a player and the potential cost of acquisition, I reached out to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@emeraldcityhockey">Emerald City Hockey</a>, which does a great job covering the Kraken. What type of defenceman is Oleksiak, and how would you describe him for those unfamiliar with his game?
<blockquote>Mostly defensive, big shot blocker. Not physical but uses his reach well.

This isn't really important, but fun tidbit: he has sneaky good hands. He'll often dangle guys in practice and I've been calling for him to be a shootout option for a couple years. Rarely uses that skill in-game though.</blockquote>
Oilers fans appreciate little tidbits like that, so thank you! Given that he appears to be a trade candidate, what has his situation been in Seattle this season?
<blockquote>He started the season on the second pair with Brandon Montour and has recently bounced between the second and third pair. The whole Kraken blueline has struggled defensively this season, particularly with lapses of focus and coverage breakdowns.

Oleksiak hasn't been the entire problem, but he's certainly been part of it. His lack of physicality given his size can be frustrating. That said, I think he's not a good fit for the defensive system the Kraken are running.

Kind of like Will Borgen, I think he was more of a fit for Hakstol's system and could look better with a change of scenery. Plus, with only one year left on his deal and so much $ committed elsewhere on the blueline, it makes sense for the Kraken to move him.</blockquote>
What would be the ideal return for Oleksiak? The Oilers recently acquired Frederic, which raises hopes that they can still pursue a player like Oleksiak for their blue line.
<blockquote>The return is a little tricky after the Frederic deal. Ideal return would be Savoie, but I imagine the Kraken would have to retain 50% on Oleksiak, plus add something or take on bad $ like Arvidsson.

Next ask would be the 2026 1st rounder. Then maybe a guy like Beau Akey but I don't know if he's enough to get it done now by himself given Francis can just wait til the offseason and shop Oleksiak again then.

It's hard to find a good value match since EDM doesn't have their 1st or 2nd this year and there's not much of a prospect pool outside of Savoie.</blockquote>
That would send Oil Country into a whirlwind. Some are high on Oleksiak but don't think he's worth a ton. However, I understand where you're coming from.
<blockquote>I certainly wouldn't do anything around Savoie or the 2026 1st if I was Edmonton.</blockquote>
What would you say is the biggest need for the Kraken this trade deadline?
<blockquote>Their biggest needs are: 1. Promising young players under 24 (like Kakko) or prospects who are close to NHL-ready 2. Assets they can flip this offseason to trade for immediate help.

Theyll take what they can get for rentals, but for any of the guys with term (Oleksiak, Schwartz, Bjorkstrand), it'll probably take an overpay to get Francis to pull the trigger.</blockquote>
Lastly, for Oilers fans unfamiliar with the Kraken right now, to wrap things up. Where are they at as an organization? They made the playoffs in 2023, and some think they took a step back last season and this year.
<blockquote>It has been two steps back since that 2023 playoff run, which looks more and more like an anomaly as time goes on.

The Kraken are a team trying to thread the needle of being competitive right now, while waiting for their promising prospect pool to arrive and contribute.

The kids are on their way, but it's become clear the veteran core of forwards isn't good enough to be competitive right now. Ownership has reiterated their desire to make the playoffs next year, but that's going to require some big changes and bold moves in the offseason.</blockquote>
Big thank you to <a href="https://linktr.ee/emeraldcityhockey">Emerald City Hockey</a> for their time and insight on the Seattle Kraken. <a href="https://x.com/EmeraldCityHky">You can find them on X</a>, and, if you're interested in more of their coverage, they also run <a href="https://emeraldcityhockey.com/home/fashion-5ybkh">The Deep Dive Podcast</a>.

Oleksiak is listed 16th on Frank Seravalli's trade targets board. If you want to learn more about his play, <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/2025-trade-deadline-targets-for-the-oilers-defencemen">NHL Sid covered him in an article featuring defencemen the Oilers should target.</a> If the Oilers don't acquire a defenceman, fans would love to see the team trade for a goalie. <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/general-manager-stan-bowman-told-insider-the-oilers-dont-need-to-add-a-goalie-ahead-of-the-trade-deadline">However, there has been no indication that the organization feels the need to improve their goaltending situation.</a>

What do you think about Oleksiak as a target? How much would you be willing to move for him?

<hr />

<h2>PRESENTED BY STAR MECHANICAL</h2>
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Star Mechanical is one of Edmonton’s biggest locally owned and operated plumbing and heating businesses. They have been working within the community for over 20 years, and many of the homes built in Edmonton over the last two decades have had their plumbing and heating systems installed by Star Mechanical.  Visit them at <a href="http://starmechanical.ca/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://starmechanical.ca&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1707492487512000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2mVs3WUkp8iUCZ0kJRe9lJ">starmechanical.ca</a> to schedule an appointment and let them help keep your home running smoothly.

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