Saturday night’s loss to the Colorado Avalanche has fans of the Edmonton Oilers in a foul mood. It doesn’t take much effort to extend that misery to the team’s players, coaching staff and management. Throw in ownership, and everyone involved had a miserable weekend.

The Oilers organization has about one million general managers at any given time, but Stan Bowman is the man who controls the roster. It is probably wise for Bowman to ignore outside suggestions, but what can he do to shake up this roster in mid-November?

The Oilers are at a difficult juncture in team history. Two trips to the Stanley Cup Final over the past couple of seasons show recent success, but the pivot this season from older to younger players is proving difficult. The coaching staff isn’t finding a way to include younger players, while relying on veterans who aren’t delivering like last year’s group.

Kris Knoblauch would ordinarily be on the hot seat. The head coach of a struggling team, especially one that fans believe is bound for glory, is often fired in cases like this one. It is extremely unlikely at this time, though, as Knoblauch has guided the Oilers to two straight appearances in the final. The team is struggling, but there is no long losing streak that threatens a playoff berth.

That leaves a trade, or more accurately, a shake-up trade to right the ship and wake up the roster. What would it look like?

Challenges

The Oilers have many players with no-movement or no-trade contracts. Aside from the players Bowman would never trade (Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins), there are names like Darnell Nurse, Trent Frederic, Andrew Mangiapane and more who have some form of protection.

The only player on the roster without protection that Bowman will definitely keep? Evan Bouchard.

It’s easier to list the players who have zero trade protection. That group includes Stuart Skinner, Vasily Podkolzin, Brett Kulak and all of the young players still playing in their entry-level contracts.

The other major challenge before evaluating what type of player to target is cap room. Fans can name Nashville Predators goalie Juuse Saros as a strong fit for the Edmonton roster, but finding a way to fit Saros’ $7.74 million cap hit is close to impossible.

Solutions

Bowman may well contemplate asking some veterans to waive their no-movement or no-trade clauses. The dream of a Stanley Cup is a distant bell at this time, so a player like Adam Henrique or Mattias Janmark (coming off IR) may be more amenable to a deal now than in the offseason.

The organization has added several key scouting pieces in the past months; there may be an obscure, perfect-fit target out there. What Bowman and his staff might be looking for is the next Spencer Knight, who appears to be solving the Chicago Blackhawks’ goaltending situation now and for the next decade.

Who is the next Knight? The problem is that every young goalie is a bet. Sebastian Cossa is having a nice start in the Detroit Red Wings system, Jesper Wallstedt is stopping pucks at five-on-five for the Minnesota Wild, while San Jose’s Yaroslav Askarov has pedigree and a solid AHL resume.

None are guaranteed, all are unproven, and there is no certainty any would be available. That’s the problem with in-season goalie hunting.

Specifics

All of the Oilers players mentioned so far aren’t ideal when discussing trades. Podkolzin is a value deal and has proven to be useful on the Draisaitl line. Skinner is having a better year than Calvin Pickard, so the club may want to keep him around. Kulak, like Skinner, is unrestricted at the end of the year, meaning limited value for his acquiring (likely non-playoff) team.

That leaves the Oilers with limited trade pieces. First- and second-round picks always have value; the Oilers own their own second in 2026, and their first- and second-round picks in 2027.

It may also come down to one of the rookie wingers heading out of Edmonton in an effort to save the season. Management elevated Matt Savoie from the AHL Bakersfield Condors this fall, and traded for Ike Howard over the summer in an effort to restock with young skill players who will be value contracts over the next few years.

For now, the second pick in 2026 and the first and second in 2027 have the highest value. If Bowman makes Savoie or Howard available, that should be enough to get the attention of rival NHL general managers.

What would a shake-up trade look like?

Oilers fans are mad at central roster players like Skinner, Bouchard and Nurse. With the exception of Skinner, who might go in an effort to make the money work, Bowman won’t look in that direction. Players like Henrique and Kulak are veterans who might also be on the move if cap concerns dictate.

So, in the case of the current Oilers roster, the shake-up trade might include one or more of Savoie, the first-round selection and enough cap money moving out to bring in a goaltender who might be an upgrade on Skinner.

The shakeup target would be Saros. To make the money work, the Preds would need to take on Henrique, Skinner and retain money. The additional cost to the Oilers would come in draft picks and young, NHL-ready talent.

It’s a high-risk deal, but it probably gets the Oilers to the playoffs, and fans may see a third deep run in a row if Saros catches fire at the right time.

The more prudent move would be to replace the struggling backup. Bowman, should he need a goalie upgrade on Pickard, would be wise to look at the Detroit Red Wings. Cossa is building a solid resume. In his last two full AHL seasons, Cossa has delivered .913 and .911 save percentages, and he’s at .939 through four games this season with the Grand Rapids Griffins. Grand Rapids also has a curious newcomer in Michal Postava. He’s from Czechia and is impressing in the AHL.

Cossa or Postava would be worthy experiments behind Skinner. The Red Wings might prefer dealing veteran Cam Talbot, but the Oilers should acquire a goaltender with the potential to help for the next several years (and under team control).

Anything else?

I’ve mentioned Marc-Andre Fleury as an option in the past. There’s zero hint he plans a return to the NHL, but Bowman should keep tabs on him and make an offer if and when Fleury changes his mind.

If not, the play here is to acquire a young goalie who gives Bowman a possible starter next fall. Skinner is a free agent, as are Pickard and AHL netminder Connor Ingram. The cupboard is bare for 2026-27 in goal. Cossa or Postava would offer the current team options and possibly help the Oilers for years to come. The veteran pickup, if required, should come at the deadline.

Saros is the shake-up trade, Cossa the astute move and Fleury the wild card. What an unbelievable season it has already been in Edmonton.