The NHL trade deadline is approaching, and the Edmonton Oilers are bound to make a move or two.
With the Olympic break officially coming to an end and the roster freeze lifting on Sunday, we can expect NHL trade activity to start picking up. It didn’t take long for the Oilers to show up in the rumour mill, with a new report linking the team to a veteran defenceman.
Daily Faceoff’s Anthony Di Marco reported on Monday that the Oilers have kicked tires on a potential trade for Rasmus Ristolainen of the Philadelphia Flyers.
“Among the teams that have checked in on Ristolainen are the Bruins and Edmonton Oilers, though neither has stepped up as a ‘serious’ landing spot to this point,” Di Marco wrote.
“As for the Oilers, they have been on the lookout for a top-four, right-shot rearguard to play with Darnell Nurse since what feels like the beginning of time.”
Reports over the last few weeks have suggested that the Oilers are interested in adding a top-nine forward ahead of the deadline. Toronto Maple Leafs forward Bobby McMann has been a popular target for many Oilers fans, but it appears that Edmonton GM Stan Bowman is also looking to bolster the blue line.
Edmonton’s defence has been leaky this season, and the team recently brought back Paul Coffey to help right the ship. If there aren’t immediate results, it’s fair to think that Bowman would prioritize getting a veteran stay-at-home guy to help settle things down.
The 31-year-old Ristolainen is an interesting target to do that. He hasn’t had the best results with the Flyers this season, posting a 47.38 expected goals-for percentage (xGF%) and 31.25 goals-for percentage (GF%) at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick this season. Ristolainen also missed the first three and a half months of the NHL season with a tricep injury.
That being said, he is coming off an impressive showing with Finland during the Olympics, which Di Marco says helped his market in recent weeks.
Philadelphia’s reported ask is not small, as Di Marco likened it to what the Boston Bruins got for Brandon Carlo at last year’s deadline, which included a top prospect, a conditional first-round pick, and a mid-round pick.
Edmonton does not have a first-round pick this season and would likely need to dangle the 2027 pick. Prospects that they could potentially offer include Matt Savoie, Isaac Howard, Josh Samanski, Quinn Hutson, Connor Clattenburg, or Beau Akey.
Ristolainen’s contract runs through the end of next season and carries a managable $5.1 million. The Flyers are reportedly open to retaining some of that, but if the Oilers can find a way to dump Andrew Mangiapane’s $3.6 million cap hit, things could be easier to maneuver.
The plan would most likely pair up Ristolainen on the Oilers’ second pair with Darnell Nurse, allowing the top pair of Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard to stay together, and letting Jake Walman anchor the third pair.
With the deadline set for next week, there is not a lot of time left for deals to come together. We’ll see if Bowman continues to pursue Ristolainen or if he pivots to another option.