The NHL offseason has been absolute bedlam so far.

We’ve seen star players traded, multiple first-round picks moved, and pricey offer sheets signed. Amid all the chaos, the Edmonton Oilers quietly improved their cap situation and added on the margins. Now, they’re on the hunt for a bigger move.

Stan Bowman set everything in motion when he traded Darnell Nurse on the first day of free agency to create substantial cap space. He used the savings to shore up the team’s goaltending, defence, and bottom six. Now, the roster is practically set, with $5.925 million in cap space, according to PuckPedia, to add the final piece of the puzzle: a top-six forward.

Most of the worthwhile free agents have already found a home, but the Oilers can find that scoring winger via trade. One player to keep an eye on is Pittsburgh Penguins winger Rickard Rakell.

The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta recently connected the Oilers to Rakell, as the Penguins are reportedly listening to offers. The 33-year-old has two seasons remaining on a five-year contract that carries an AAV of $5 million. Edmonton has the cap space and the assets to acquire him, but is he the right fit?

Rakell’s greatest appeal is obvious: his ability to score goals. He’s a seven-time 20-goal scorer in the NHL, with four of those seasons coming within the last five years.

He averages about 15 goals per season at five-on-five, which is the exact same amount Jack Roslovic scored in Edmonton last season. With Roslovic leaving in free agency earlier this summer, it wouldn’t hurt to add someone with similar scoring ability. Finishing and goal-scoring are where the similarities end, however. Rakell and Roslovic are very different players.

First, Rakell’s defensive play is far less of a weak point. One way to measure a player’s impact is through HockeyStats’ Wins Above Replacement (WAR) model, which estimates how many wins a player provides over a readily available replacement-level player by isolating their offensive, defensive, and special teams’ contributions.

By that measure, Roslovic’s defensive impact falls well short of Rakell’s. He ranked better than just four per cent of NHL forwards in even-strength defensive WAR over the past three years, while Rakell was better than 62 per cent of forwards.

Defensive value isn’t the only area in which Rakell offers an upgrade over Roslovic, either. He also brings a track record of producing on the power play. There may not be an appetite to mess with what’s worked for so many years in Edmonton, but Rakell would present a different threat on the bumper or left flank than Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Last season, he took 14.5 shots per hour with the man-advantage, while Nugent-Hopkins took only 8.59. I like the idea of experimenting with another shooting threat opposite Draisaitl after stationing a pass-first player there for so many years.

Rakell is an upgrade over some of the players Edmonton featured in the top six last season, but he does have limitations. While he knows how to get himself into dangerous shooting positions, Rakell doesn’t do a ton with the puck on his stick.

Rakell ranks towards the bottom of the league in entries and exits. His skating speed and overall rush offence don’t impress, and his playmaking is fairly average. Those skills aren’t necessarily required if you play with stars who can do the heavy lifting with the puck, but I would still prefer the Oilers to add more players who can transport the puck and make plays, not just finish them while Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl do the rest.

Adding Rakell would make the Oilers a better team. There’s little doubt about that. And he comes with an affordable contract that expires just as he hits 35 years old — the perfect age for Edmonton to walk away. Still, there are other factors to consider.

Acquisition cost is a key one. The Oilers have just enough assets and just enough cap space to bring in one more genuine star. Rakell has plenty of value, but he isn’t the type of player you empty the cupboards for. If Stan Bowman wants to acquire him, he should leave enough bullets in the chamber to target a bigger needle mover later.

Another factor for Edmonton to consider is the value of giving their young players more reps. If they bring a complementary top-six winger into the fold, there’s a good chance that Isaac Howard gets lost in the shuffle.

Howard might not be ready to make an impact in the NHL this season, but management made an investment when they traded for him last summer. Why not give him a chance to prove himself before adding a winger that blocks his path to the top nine? At some point, the kid needs to play.

Maybe I have a bad taste in my mouth from the time the Oilers signed Jeff Skinner instead of letting Dylan Holloway graduate to the top six, and then lost him to an offer sheet. But I would hesitate to add another scoring winger unless it’s a home-run swing, at least until we get a look at Howard this fall.

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