In 2023-24, the Canucks came out of nowhere and finished first in the Pacific Division. After leading 3-2 in the second round, they dropped the next two games to the Oilers, nearly completing a 3-0 comeback in Game 7.

As you know, the Oilers went on to make the Stanley Cup Finals, nearly becoming one of just a few teams to overcome a 3-0 series deficit. They then went on to make the Stanley Cup Finals again in 2025, while the Canucks fought for a Wild Card spot all season.

The wheels completely fell off for the Canucks this season, as they traded their franchise defenceman, Quinn Hughes, to the Minnesota Wild. This signalled the start of a rebuild, as the Canucks have the fewest points in the National Hockey League.

And it doesn’t look like they’re done with the firesale. According to Daily Faceoff’s latest trade board, there are seven Canucks who could find themselves on the move ahead of March 6th’s trade deadline.

Identifying the Oilers’ needs

The skinny of the Oilers situation is that while they’re in a playoff spot, they don’t look like the team that went to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals. Earlier this season, they addressed their goaltending needs, a trade that hasn’t quite worked out for them.

Their defensive structure has been an absolute mess all season long, leaking far too many high-danger scoring chances, while they’ve barely seen any production for their bottom six. Heading into the March 6th trade deadline, the Oilers have three primary needs: A winger that can move up and down the lineup and play in their top nine, a right-shot centre for the third line, and a right-shot defenceman.

All that being said, what do the Canucks have to offer?

Conor Garland

Conor Garland is one of the more intriguing names on Daily Faceoff’s trade board, as he sits in the tier named “names to keep an eye on”. They note that while he signed an extension last summer, that’s before the wheels fell off, so maybe the Canucks would want to trade Garland before the no-move clause kicks in. It’s worth noting that The Fourth Period’s Dave Pagnotta reported that the Canucks don’t wish to move him.

Drafted in the fifth round of the 2015 draft by the Arizona Coyotes, Garland broke out once he joined the Canucks, picking up a career-high 52 points in his first season with the organization. However, he’s been unable to reach his career-high of 22 goals that he set in 2019-20 when he was with the Coyotes.

Last season, he reached the 50-point mark for the second time in his career, scoring 19 goals and 50 points in 81 games. Through 46 games in 2025-26, Garland has seven goals and 25 points in 46 games, which is on pace for 12 goals and 44 points over 82 games.

Garland is a feisty winger with speed. This season, the 29-year-old has a cap hit of $4.95 million, but his six-year, $6 million AAV contract kicks in next season.

Jake DeBrusk

Son of Oilers colour commentator Louie DeBrusk, Jake DeBrusk is in the second year of his seven-year contract. The 29-year-old Edmonton native has been a healthy scratch for the Canucks this season, but he has 13 goals and 28 points in 56 games, which is on pace for 19 goals and 41 points over 82 games.

DeBrusk scored a career-high 28 goals last season, and also finished the season with 48 points, the second-best total other than his 50 points in 2022-23. DeBrusk is a winger who’ll on average give a team more than 20 goals a season with 40+ points. The Oilers sure could use that in their top six, even if it means moving Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to the third line centre spot.

The left winger has a full no-move clause, but was born and raised in Edmonton. It’s not unreasonable to believe that DeBrusk would waive his no-move clause, especially with the potential to win the Stanley Cup with the Oilers. He has a cap hit of $5.5 million until the end of the 2030-31 season.

Like Garland, DeBrusk sits in Daily Faceoff’s second tier in their latest trade board.

Teddy Blueger

Teddy Blueger wouldn’t be a bad bottom six option, a she has consistently gotten 20+ points over the course of his career, but has never reached double-digit goals. Last season with the Canucks, he scored eight goals and 26 points, while reaching nine goals twice and 28 points twice.

The Latvian native has missed most of this season due to an injury suffered in the second game of the season, but he returned in late January. Over the course of 10 games, the centre has five goals and eight points in 10 games, which is a rather unsustainable pace for the type of player Blueger is.

As for his contract situation, Blueger carries a cap hit of $1.8 million and is a pending unrestricted free agent. He has a 12-team no-trade list. Blueger ranks in Daily Faceoff’s first tier (obvious trade candidates) in their most recent trade board.

Lukas Reichel

On top of having the best German player of all-time, the Oilers have turned their attention to Germany in recent times. Toward the end of last season, they signed Josh Samanski, who had a cup of tea with the Oilers in January and plays alongside Leon Draisaitl at the Olympics. The Oilers also drafted German prospect David Lewandowski in the most recent draft.

Another thing the Oilers have done in recent years is take fliers on past first round picks, look no further than Matthew Savoie or Vasily Podkolzin. Germany’s Lukas Reichel is another potential option, as the Chicago Blackhawks drafted the Nuremberg product 17th overall in the 2020 draft.

Reichel, nephew of former NHL’er Robert Reichel (who represented Czechia internationally, it’s a whole thing), scored a career-high eight goals and 22 points in 70 games last season with the Blackhawks. However, he was traded to the Canucks after just five games, where he had two goals and four points. In his 14 games with the Canucks, Reichel has just one assist, and has played most of his season with their American Hockey League team.

The forward has found success down there, scoring five goals and 10 points in 19 games. That said, he’s a skill player who doesn’t really fit in the bottom six. Reichel is seen as an obvious trade candidate.

Evander Kane

Earlier this season, Rick Dhaliwal of Donnie and Dhali reported that the Canucks attempted to trade Evander Kane back to the Oilers. The Oilers declined, which is understandable as Kane has declined in recent years.

Through 56 games this season with the Canucks, the 34-year-old has nine goals and 25 points, which is on pace for 13 goals and 44 points. THose 13 goals would be the fewest of his career in any season. He’s far from the player he was when the Oilers originally signed him to the show-me deal and the extension.

A pending free agent, Kane has a cap hit of $5.125 million and a 16-team trade list. Given his untimely penalties, it seems unlikely that the Oilers circle back to the 34-year-old, even if they need some toughness in their lineup.

Kane is seen as an obvious trade candidate.

Elias Pettersson

Although Elias Pettersson is considered an obvious trade candidate according to Daily Faceoff, there’s almost certainly no interest on the part of the Oilers. In 2022-23, Pettersson scored a career-high 39 goals and 102 points in 80 games, but has declined from there, scoring 34 goals and 89 points in 2023-24, then 15 goals and 45 points in 64 games in 2024-25.

Through 49 games this season, the right-shot centre has 13 goals and 34 points, which is on pace for 21 goals and 56 points over 82 games. That isn’t necessarily bad production, but the Swede has an annual cap hit of $11.6 million until the end of the 2031-32 season.

Tyler Myers

Lastly, Tyler Myers is an interesting name to keep an eye on. The Houston, Texas native was drafted 12th overall back in the 2008 draft and has been an NHLer ever since the 2009-10 season. At 36-years-old, the right-shot centre hasn’t scored double-digit goals since his sophomore season, and has just one goal and eight points in 57 games this season. Myers had 24 points in 2024-25 and 29 points in 2023-24.

Aside from a Western Conference Finals appearance in 2018 with the Winnipeg Jets, Myers’ teams haven’t found much success in the postseason. With a cap hit of $3 million and a full no-move clause in 2025-26, Myers controls his own destiny and could be a useful third pairing, right-shot defenceman on a contender.

Like a handful of other players covered in this article, Myers is considered as a name to keep an eye on according to Daily Faceoff.

Trade deadline preview series

Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Oilersnation, FlamesNation, and Blue Jays Nation. Follow her on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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