It’s been a while since the Edmonton Oilers have made a truly shocking blockbuster trade, but could that change this season?
The last time the Oilers traded for a true top-of-the-lineup player was in 2023 when then-GM Ken Holland swung a deal to acquire defenceman Mattias Ekholm from the Nashville Predators. That trade ended up being a massive win for the organization as Ekholm immediately became a top pairing defenceman and remains one of the team’s leaders today.
If John Klingberg can rebound into a top-four guy, it doesn’t appear like the Oilers will need to make a similar move for a top defenceman. This would allow Oilers GM Stan Bowman to look toward improving the forward group instead.
If the Boston Bruins fall out of the playoff race, could they look to trade captain Brad Marchand and, if so, would the Oilers have interest?
Would Marchand be available?
A few signs are pointing toward the Bruins captain potentially being available in a trade between now and the March 7 trade deadline.
The Bruins are no longer the juggernaut they were a few seasons ago and are currently sitting outside a playoff spot, albeit by just a single point. Additionally, the 36-year-old Marchand is set to become a UFA this summer and will probably want a raise after playing with a bargain $6.1 million cap hit the past eight years.
If a contract doesn’t come to fruition in Boston, this could be the team’s last chance to recoup assets on a player like Marchand before potentially losing him for nothing in free agency.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman also laid out a few thoughts on a recent edition of the 32 Thoughts podcast last week that made it sound like a potential Marchand deal wasn’t completely off the table.
“There was a time in this year where I didn’t think there was a chance that Marchand would be [traded] out [of Boston],” Friedman said. “Now I think it’s not as certain, depending on what happens here.”
Friedman on Marchand potentially being moved and it’s @sportsnetkyle‘s breathless wow that does it for me. pic.twitter.com/3Ejp98s3er
— Locked On Bruins (@LockedNHLBruins) January 31, 2025
Do the Oilers need Marchand?
The Oilers aren’t in a position where they need a player like Marchand, but it would certainly shore up the top six.
While Jeff Jackson and Bowman have attempted to get Leon Draisaitl a scoring left-wing, bringing in Jeff Skinner and Vasily Podkolzin, neither has provided the amount of scoring you would like. Skinner is now a bottom-six player who is a healthy scratch on occasion and Podkolzin, while a good forechecker, only has six goals in 52 games.
Adding Marchand onto that second line will give Draisaitl a veteran scorer with 19 goals and 42 points this season. That would rank third on the Oilers in both goals and points. It would also allow Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch to knock Podkolzin down the lineup to increase forward depth.
Outside of the scoring that Marchand would bring, it would also give Edmonton one of the most annoying players to play against in the entire league. Add that to a roster that already includes Corey Perry and suddenly, the Oilers are one of the most insufferable teams for opposing players to play against.
Marchand also holds a modified no-movement clause with his current contract. That could be a snag, but considering Edmonton is one of the few true Stanley Cup contenders, it’s likely that wouldn’t stop a potential deal.
Fitting him under the salary cap could be difficult, but it shouldn’t be too hard to find a third team to retain his salary, similar to what the Carolina Hurricanes did with Mikko Rantanen and the Chicago Blackhawks.
What would a trade look like?
The trickiest part of this idea would be piecing together what a potential Oilers trade for Marchand would look like. At this juncture, any trade without a prior extension would be a pure rental for the Oilers, which should help bring the price down.
However, Bowman will still need to convince the Bruins to part with a beloved player and that won’t be as easy as throwing them a first-round pick and a middling prospect. Also, if Marchand is on the market, there is bound to be a bevy of other contenders calling for him. Edmonton would need to find a way to stand out above the rest, which could be difficult considering their lacklustre prospect pool.
A potential trade probably starts with Matthew Savoie and a first-round pick but would need to be expanded to get it done. Boston has had reported interest in Ryan Nugent-Hopkins for years, but that seems like it would be a very hard sell for the Oilers.
There are a few roster players they could add with Evander Kane, Jeff Skinner, Adam Henrique, and even Viktor Arvidsson, but each holds some reservations, whether it be a high cap hit, lack of production, or injury troubles.
If the Bruins were willing to commit to a futures deal, would there be any interest in prospects Beau Akey or Sam O’Reilly? You’d have to think the Oilers would have to add a draft pick to get retention on Marchand’s cap hit and another conditional pick dependent on an extension in Edmonton.
Even then, would that be enough for Don Sweeney to consider a move?
Getting the right pieces together to persuade the Bruins into trading Marchand will be the biggest challenge for Edmonton, but they should at least explore the possibility to see if there is a match to be made.