The Edmonton Oilers still look like a team that could use one more right-shot winger in the top six, and the market might not get any simpler by the 2027 NHL Trade Deadline.
Matthew Savoie may eventually grow into that spot, but if Edmonton wants a more established answer, there are a few names that could surface depending on which clubs slide out of contention. Some would be pricey.
Some would be rentals. All of them would give the Oilers another look on the right side.
Brock Boeser sits near the top of the list because he checks the cleanest box: proven scoring. The Vancouver Canucks winger has topped 20 goals six times and has the kind of shooting touch Edmonton’s top six doesn’t currently have.
He could slot beside Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl and finish chances. The catch is obvious.
Boeser is not a rental, so Vancouver would be asking for a major return, and dealing with a Pacific Division rival would only make that conversation tougher.
Bryan Rust would bring a different kind of value if the Pittsburgh Penguins move toward a rebuild. He’s a right-shot winger with speed, defensive reliability and plenty of playoff mileage.
He’s also spent much of his career skating with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, which makes the idea of fitting alongside one of Edmonton’s elite centres feel pretty natural. A deal might require Pittsburgh to hold back salary or take a contract back to make the math work.
Kirill Marchenko would be the swing-for-the-fences option. The Columbus Blue Jackets winger has size, finishing ability and the kind of long-term upside that could keep him in Edmonton beyond a single playoff run.
That control would come at a steep cost. If the Oilers chased him, it could take a premium prospect like Isaac Howard or Savoie, plus a high draft pick.
Owen Tippett is another name to watch if the Philadelphia Flyers decide to make a major change. He put up 28 goals and 51 points last season, and his blend of straight-line speed and a heavy shot would fit nicely in a top-six role.
He’s also signed through 2031-32 at $6.2 million per year, which means Edmonton would be getting a long-term piece rather than a short-term fix. That kind of security, though, would give Philadelphia plenty of leverage in talks.
Oliver Bjorkstrand may be the most practical target of the bunch. He signed a one-year, $4.5 million deal with the New York Rangers, and if they drift out of the playoff race, he could become an obvious deadline piece.
Bjorkstrand had 12 goals and 32 points last season, but he’s also hit the 20-goal mark five times in his career. He can shoot, he has experience, and he can move around the lineup, which makes him a more affordable rental than some of the other names here.
Of the five, Tippett offers the best mix of age and contract control, while Boeser stands out as the strongest pure scoring fit. Still, Bjorkstrand might end up looking like Edmonton’s most realistic option simply because of the expiring deal and the chance that his acquisition cost stays lower than the others.
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Ryan Nugent-Hopkins Is About To Make Oilers History
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Now, with the season just getting underway, he is lined up to pass Kevin Lowe for the most games played in franchise history. Nugent-Hopkins is expected to tie the mark on Oct. 10 and move past it on Oct. 13 during an early-season road swing, a fitting next step for a player who has been at the center of Edmontons story for so long. [Read more 🡒]