Edmonton’s cap space is limited, and they don’t have a lot of premium assets to spend. Because of that, it seems unlikely that they’ll be able to make more than one significant addition, and even making one big splash doesn’t feel like a guarantee.

My preference would be for the Oilers to make a move that changes the complexion of their forward group. Whether it’s an upgrade at the third-line centre position or a new top-six winger, I think both options could really pay off come playoff time.

The Oilers are still -27 at 5v5 when both Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are off the ice. That’s brutal, and making a significant addition to the forward group would help solve that problem.

I also talked in that aforementioned article about how they might also look to make an addition on their blueline, and yesterday on Oilersnation Everyday, David Pagnotta from The Fourth Period talked about the type of defencemen that the Oilers could look to acquire:

“I think the Oilers would like to add a little more scoring depth on the wingers, more than anything,” said Pagnotta, “I still believe this is a team that would like to bring in an ‘Ekholm Jr.’ type of player on the backend to help solidify that d-core.”

Again, if the team’s priority is to add a big piece up front, then it makes sense that whatever they decide to do on the blueline is more of a lower-case move.

Winnipeg Jets Luke Schenn Edmonton Oilers

Nov 7, 2025; San Jose, California, USA; Winnipeg Jets defenseman Luke Schenn (5) warms up before facing the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center at San Jose. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images

Pagnotta mentioned two names to me: Luke Schenn and Logan Stanley of the Winnipeg Jets.

Schenn isn’t exactly a flashy name, but he’s a veteran right-shot defenseman who should cost a lot to acquire, and if the Jets were willing to retain a chunk of his $2.75 million cap hit then the Oilers could very easily fit him in.

Part of the reason why I’m okay with the Oilers adding a piece like Schenn is that when their blueline is fully healthy, I actually think it’s pretty good.

With Evan Bouchard, Mattias Ekholm, Darnell Nurse, Jake Walman, Ty Emberson, and Spencer Stasney, the Oilers have a pretty solid top-six, but very rarely will you see a team go on a deep playoff run and only use six defensemen.

They’ll need some added depth because I’m not sure how comfortable the organization would be with using someone like Alec Regula in a playoff game and if they were to have to dig even deeper into their depth chart, things get even sketchier.

I don’t think Schenn would necessarily take anyone in the top-six’s job, considering his struggles this season, but he would be a decent low-cost insurance policy.

Edmonton Oilers Winnipeg Jets Logan Stanley

Dec 27, 2025; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Winnipeg Jets defenseman Logan Stanley (64) fights against Minnesota Wild defenseman Jake Middleton (5) in the first period at Canada Life Centre. Mandatory Credit: James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images

Pagnotta also brought up Logan Stanley as a possibility.

Stanley is almost ten years younger than Schenn and at 6’7, he would add some size to the Oilers’ blueline. His $1.25 million cap hit would also be very appealing to a cap-strapped team like the Oilers.

He’s having the best season of his career and it could result in him getting a pretty nice payday on July 1st when he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

I like Stanley, but the fact that he shoots lefft makes him less of a fit with the Oilers and because of his age, he’ll likely cost more to acquire than Schenn.

There are other names out there that I like, such as Mario Ferraro of the San Jose Sharks and Jamie Oleksiak of the Seattle Kraken. Both would be more on the expensive side of things when it comes to acquisition cost, and right now, both of their teams are sitting in playoff spots, so it’s unclear if they’d even be willing to sell off their pending free agents.

Another potential check-down name that might be more in the Schenn price range is Matt Gryzelcyk, who is having a surprisingly good year in Chicago and carries just a $1 million cap hit.

Although the Blackhawks are -21 at 5v5 on the year, Gryzelcyk is +2. That’s pretty impressive.

Outside of that, there aren’t a lot of teams that are heading towards being pure sellers and that will undoubtedly complicate the market.

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