3 Edmonton Oilers players who could be traded this season
The Edmonton Oilers team we see right now likely won’t be the one we see when the playoffs roll around.
It’s been a great beginning of the season for the Oilers, getting off to an excellent 11-2-3 start while finding ways to succeed despite a laundry list of injuries. The team has looked as good as ever with Mike Babcock behind the bench, and that has given fans some hope that last year’s first-round exit was just an anomaly.
The season is still young, but it’s led to some early discussion of how this Oilers team can get even better down the stretch. The NHL trade deadline is still months away, and there is plenty of hockey to be played, yet that hasn’t stopped speculation about what a potential blockbuster trade could look like.
Nikita Kucherov has requested a trade from the Tampa Bay Lightning and could potentially be interested in playing for the Oilers. Edmonton native Jake DeBrusk is reportedly on the market for the Vancouver Canucks, and there are a whole host of different targets GM Stan Bowman could consider.
But which players could the Oilers use to make a trade? You have to give to get in the NHL, and these four players seem like the best bet to be used in a trade between now and the Mar. 1 trade deadline.
1. Isaac Howard
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Age: 22
2026-27 stats: 1 G, 2 A, 3 PTS, 13 GP
Cap hit: $972,500
The original plan when the Oilers acquired Isaac Howard in the summer of 2025 may have been to develop him into a top-six forward, but it’s taking longer than expected.
The 22-year-old still holds all sorts of offensive potential and is coming off a fantastic rookie season in the AHL. However, the results at the NHL level have been underwhelming, and Babcock doesn’t seem keen on giving him a run in the top-six any time soon.
That makes Howard a perfect fit to be included in a trade to bring in a more established NHL talent. He’s cheap, is still young, and should still have some value to teams looking to stockpile younger players.
2. Matt Savoie
Perry Nelson/Imagn Images
Age: 22
2025-26 stats (last season): 18 G, 19 A, 37 PTS, 82 GP
Cap hit: $886,666
The Oilers likely want to hold onto Matt Savoie, but could they be tempted if the right deal comes around?
The 22-year-old St. Albert native impressed last season and was set to be a mainstay in Edmonton’s top-six this season before an injury sidelined him. He will likely slot back into the team’s second line when healthy, and the expectation is for him to fully cement himself as an impact forward on this team.
Savoie would, however, be the most valuable trade chip at the Oilers’ disposal and could be dangled if a player like Kucherov was a potential return.
3. Jake Walman
Marc DesRosiers/Imagn Images
Age: 30
2026-27 stats: 0 G, 1 A, 1 PT, 10 GP
Cap hit: $7 million
It didn’t take long for Jake Walman to get into Babcock’s doghouse this season.
Less than a month into the first year of a seven-year, $49 million deal, the defenceman already played himself out of the lineup for a stretch. Walman was healthy-scratched for three straight games by Babcock and seems to be walking on thin ice around the new coach.
There was some hope that being healthy and back on his natural side would help him rebound from a disappointing season last year, but perhaps a change of scenery could already be in store for the two sides.