If the Vancouver Canucks trade Jake DeBrusk before next week’s trade deadline, will the Edmonton Oilers come calling?

The Oilers are expected to be busy before the March 6 deadline. Rumours around the team have them interested in adding a top-four defenceman, but there has been previous chatter about GM Stan Bowman wanting to add up front.

If the Oilers are looking for a scoring winger with a connection to the Alberta capital, perhaps DeBrusk catches their eye.

Vancouver radio host Satiar Shah wondered aloud about DeBrusk being a fit in Edmonton during Monday’s edition of Canucks Central on Sportsnet 650.

“Because of [DeBrusk’s] size, his skating, and the fact that he can be a complementary goal scorer, teams looking for some top-six help might see him as an option for the playoffs,” Shah said. “That’s why we’ve been wondering about Edmonton, for instance. They have some money that’s not working out. Can you get creative?

“I think [the Oilers are] a team to keep an eye on.”

It would make sense for the Oilers to be interested in DeBrusk. He is a sturdy top-nine forward who has a consistent track record of scoring goals in the NHL. The 29-year-old currently has 13 goals and 28 points through 56 games on a struggling Canucks team this year.

There is also an obvious connection between DeBrusk and Edmonton. He was born and raised in the Alberta capital, and his dad, Louie, is a former Oilers player and current Sportsnet broadcaster for the team.

DeBrusk still has five years left on a contract that carries a $5 million cap hit, which would be quite a commitment for the Oilers to make if they traded for him and likely takes any type of retention off the table.

The big question is what the Canucks would want in return for DeBrusk. Vancouver is currently in the midst of a rebuild and will likely be looking for a haul that includes young players and draft picks.

Edmonton currently has a few young players that could entice Canucks GM Patrik Allvin, including Isaac Howard, Matt Savoie, Quinn Hutson, and Josh Samanski. All four of those players have NHL games under their belt and have shown well in the AHL. The Oilers also have first-round picks in 2027, 2028, and 2029 that they could possibly dangle.