Will three depth players from Chicago be enough to get the Edmonton Oilers into a contender?
With all of the marquee names on the NHL trade bait board, Connor Murphy and Jason Dickinson don’t move the excitement needle very much. Defensive players who take pride in their craft never do. Neither do 23-year-old projects like Colton Dach.
But anyone with a vested interest in seeing the defensively-challenged Oilers tidy up their game in time for the playoffs should be rather intrigued about what a second pairing defenceman and third line centre might bring to the party.
Edmonton is in the unique position of not needing to add a big name player at the deadline. They have two of the biggest in the world, they have one of the best defencemen in the game and they have one of the best net-front goal scorers in the game. They are set for star power and offence.
They needed a defensive defenceman with size, a defensive third line centre and some help on the penalty kill. These moves might very well check those boxes.
This is the equivalent of a football team with a franchise quarterback, a world class wide receiver and a star running back finally shoring up its offensive line. The hogs up front never get the headlines, but no team ever wins with a weak O-line.
If these guys help Edmonton cut down the goals against, maybe this team can turn the corner it’s been waiting all year to turn.
Whether that puts the Oilers are on the same level as Minnesota or Dallas remains to be seen, that part of the equation is up to the Oilers, but GM Stan Bowman did well to unload the $3.6 million mistake that was Andrew Mangiapane and get three players back in return.
Proving Ground Ahead
The next four games will give us some insight on the question of Edmonton being on the same level at the elite teams in the NHL. Carolina on Friday, then Vegas, Colorado and Dallas on the road.
That’s four legitimate Stanley Cup contenders in a row, give or take Vegas. We like to talk about measuring stick games all season, but the truth of the matter is that when they happen in December or January they don’t carry the same weight as head-to-head showdowns in the stretch drive.
These four games carry weight. They will not only give us an exact sense of who the Oilers really are, they are just what they need to shake some urgency into their game and finally commit to the style they know they can play.
“Sometimes those games against big teams bring out the best in you and your group,” said Zach Hyman.
“You know that if you’re not ready it’s going to be embarrassing. For us, we like to play in those types of games against really good teams. We have guys who rise to the occasion. So it will be a good test for us.”
Put up some strong games, go 3-1 and people will be looking at this team in an entirely different light. Get lit up like they did in those measuring stick games 9-1 to Colorado and 8-3 to Dallas in November, and fans will be wishing Bowman hadn’t given up that 2027 first round pick.
Montreal Canadiens forward Owen Beck is hauled to the ice by Chicago Blackhawks forward Colton Dach during the third period in Montreal on Thursday Dec.18, 2025.
There Is No Tomorrow
In swinging these deals with Chicago, Bowman gave up a second round pick in 2028 and first round pick in 2027 as the franchise continues to empty its cupboards. That means no first round pick this summer, no first round pick next summer.
They didn’t have a first or second round pick last year, they traded away their 2024 first rounder (Sam O’Reilly), didn’t have a 2023 first rounder, they traded away their 2022 first rounder (Reid Schaefer), their 2021 first rounder (Xavier Bourgault) was a bust and they let their 2020 and 2019 first rounders (Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg) walk for nothing.
Win now, we get it. McDavid has this season and two more, so there is no sense leaving anything on the shelf in these last three playoff runs. But this is going to catch up with them eventually.
As an aging core gets older, the Oilers are going to need an influx of young, fast, cheap talent to keep pace with the likes of San Jose and Anaheim.
Bowman has made it clear that the Oilers aren’t going to be reliant on the draft, that they can restock with college and European free agents, and they’ve done OK on that front with the likes of Quinn Hutson and Josh Samanski.
But part of the reason they’ve been coming to Edmonton is because it’s a contender with McDavid on it. Once the team slips, as all teams do, and if McDavid leaves, it might be a little harder to convince the Boston college kid that Edmonton is a better landing spot than maybe Tampa Bay or Anaheim.
There could be some lean years on the horizon, so enjoy this while it lasts.
E-mail: rtychkowski@postmedia.com