On Thursday, the Edmonton Oilers face off against the Florida Panthers in a rematch of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final.

Sounds exciting, right? Not for me. That loss still stings eight months later. I’m guessing it does for you too.

So instead of reopening old wounds, let’s talk about the trade deadline in this week’s Throwback Thursday, considering this is one the Oilers can’t afford to botch.

Quick flashback: I started really investing myself in following the Oilers around 2008. Those were rough years. The Decade of Darkness, anyone? Painful times. But there was one glimmer of hope during the 2012-13 lockout-shortened season.

For a hot second, it felt like the Oilers were clicking. Ralph Krueger was behind the bench, and on April 3, they absolutely demolished the Calgary Flames 8-2. Nail Yakupov scored twice, the vibes were immaculate, and, get this, they were actually sitting in a playoff spot in April.

But earlier that same day? The 2013 trade deadline. And the Oilers’ big move? Trading a fourth-round pick to the Panthers for Jerred Smithson. There was a lot of talk about a pretty minor trade, and it wasn’t because fans were excited about the team’s deadline.

Smithson played 10 games and scored one goal for the Oilers and left the team in the off-season as a free agent. The Panthers used that pick on Matt Buckles, who never cracked the NHL. So yeah, nothing groundbreaking on either side.

But the problem wasn’t the trade itself. It was what it represented.

Sure, the Oilers were rebuilding. Nobody expected a blockbuster deal. But the Smithson trade felt like a shrug, like management wasn’t really trying to push for the playoffs. And the team responded accordingly.

After that 8-2 win? The Oilers lost six straight, scoring just seven goals during that stretch. They finished the season 3-9-0, with two meaningless wins at the very end. They missed the playoffs, and that brief glimmer of hope faded back into darkness.

Would they have made the postseason with a better trade? Probably not. But it would’ve been nice to see them try.

Fast forward 11 seasons. The stakes are much higher now.

This isn’t a rebuilding team anymore. The Oilers are in their prime contention window. After the heartbreak of last year’s Stanley Cup Final, there’s no room for half-measures at this year’s trade deadline.
The roster has glaring holes. McDavid needs a scoring winger. The bottom six needs grit and penalty killers. The defense needs a second-pair, right-shot blueliner. And the goaltending? Don’t even get me started.

Fixing everything might not be realistic. But the Oilers have to make real moves this time. No more “safe” trades for guys like Jerred Smithson or Michael McCarron.

March 7 is coming fast. If they want to hoist the Cup, they can’t afford to sit back. Let’s hope they’ve learned from the mistakes of the past.