Bring Eberle home? Oilers may be looking to add a familiar face

With the Vancouver Canucks and Winnipeg Jets making recent moves to bolster their lineups for a playoff run, the time is now for the Edmonton Oilers to act.

While the Oilers may wind up looking to add another goaltender to support Stuart Skinner, or perhaps a defenceman to improve their back end, most of the talk lately has been in regards to them bolstering an already lethal forward group.

One name that has been suggested as of late is Jordan Eberle, who is in the final season of a five-year contract that carries a $5.5 million cap hit. The Seattle Kraken winger has struggled by his standards this season with nine goals and 28 points, but just a season ago scored 20 goals and 63 points in 82 games, while also adding 11 points in 14 playoff outings.

After a breakout season in 2022-23, the Kraken have regressed this year, and are currently two points shy of a wild-card spot. They may not be willing to sell just yet given that they are still in the hunt, but that could change ahead of the trade deadline on March 8.

Bringing back Eberle would be a welcomed sight for Oilers fans, as the 33-year-old spent the first seven seasons of his career in Edmonton. Though the team struggled for the majority of his tenure, he had plenty of individual success, racking up 165 goals and 382 points in 507 games.

Given the hefty prices we have seen paid for both Elias Lindholm and Sean Monahan in recent days, the Oilers would likely have to part ways with their first-round pick in this year’s draft. General manager Ken Holland would also have to get creative from a money perspective, as the Oilers have less than $1 million in cap room. It would likely require moving another forward out to help make room, perhaps Warren Foegle, who, despite having a good season, is being deemed expendable by most.

While it remains to be seen what Holland will wind up doing, there is no denying that he has to do something. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl referred to this season as Stanley Cup or bust in the summer, and fans in Edmonton are feeling the exact same way.

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