The Edmonton Oilers may not need to force the issue on the wing before the season starts.
That’s the argument Tyler Yaremchuk of Oilers Nation made this week, pushing back on the idea that Edmonton has to rush out and add another 20-goal scorer just because the forward group isn’t quite perfect yet. His point is simple: the Oilers are already close enough, and if they need another piece later, they can go get one then.
The case starts with the names already in place. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are locks to score 20 goals.
Zach Hyman probably is too. Then there’s Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Matt Savoie, Vasily Podkolzin, and Kasperi Kapanen, giving Edmonton seven players who could potentially reach the 20-goal mark in a season.
If everyone stays healthy, it wouldn’t be a shock if four or five of them get there.
And even if some of those players land short of that number, the ceiling at the top still gives Edmonton plenty to work with. McDavid, Draisaitl, and Hyman all have the potential to score 40-plus goals each, which is a pretty strong way to open a season. The idea that one missing 20-goal winger would somehow derail everything just doesn’t hold up.
There has been plenty of chatter about possible additions. Vladimir Tarasenko has been mentioned.
Claude Giroux was also a name the Oilers were kicking tires on. There was some rumored interest in Patrick Kane as well, though it’s believed he has narrowed his choice to Buffalo or Chicago.
If Edmonton comes up empty on those fronts, Yaremchuk’s view is that it still shouldn’t be a problem.
The bigger advantage, he argued, is keeping cap space available and using it later if the right opportunity appears. That gives GM Stan Bowman flexibility to make a trade in-season for a player nobody saw coming.
Once the season starts, teams will inevitably slide out of contention and begin selling. And sometimes, as with Jack Roslovic last season, a player who has been waiting for a deal can suddenly become available at a bargain.
That, in his view, is the smarter path for Edmonton: trust the stars already on the roster, wait for the market to open up, and strike when the near-perfect fit actually shows up.
Pretty close is good enough.
In Other News...
Ducks Get Pulled Back Into Another Morgan Rielly Rumor
Morgan Rielly is back in the rumor mill again, and this time the chatter has less to do with public posture than with the quiet work happening behind the scenes. Chris Johnston reported that even after Torontos public comments have pointed toward Rielly staying put, general manager John Chayka is still looking into trade possibilities for the veteran defenseman, keeping a familiar storyline alive for a player whose future has been debated for months.
For Western Conference teams watching from a distance, the intrigue is obvious, but the practical hurdles are still there. Riellys contract runs at a hefty $7.5 million for the next four seasons, and the clubs most often tied to the discussion are dealing with cap pressure and roster changes that make a deal difficult to engineer. For now, a move does not appear imminent, which leaves the situation simmering rather than boiling over. [Read more 🡒]
One Analytics Model Is Much Lower On The Oilers Offseason
One analytics read on the Oilers offseason is a lot less enthusiastic than the mood around a team that expects to contend every year. Dom Luszczyszyns model, built on Net Rating and player impact, slotted Edmonton 25th in offseason improvement, a sign that the rosters projected value has actually dipped even with additions such as Frederik Andersen and Ryan Shea.
The models view is blunt, but it also leaves room for the kinds of variables that do not show up cleanly in a spreadsheet. Coaching changes, chemistry and fit can all swing a teams trajectory in ways the numbers cannot fully capture, and Edmontons offseason has included a new voice behind the bench in Mike Babcock. Whether those factors can offset the models minus-8 outlook is the part that will matter once the games start. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Should Resist The Temptation Of An Evander Kane Reunion
Rumors around a possible Evander Kane return have started to surface again, and it is easy to see why the idea has some appeal for Edmonton. Kane knows the market, once brought a heavy, direct style to the Oilers, and there is always a temptation to chase familiarity when a team is trying to keep its window open. Even so, any discussion of a reunion has to start with where his game is now, not where it was when he first arrived.
Kane will be 35, and while the speed and shot power are still part of the package, the accuracy has slipped and the broader concern is whether there is enough left for Edmonton to justify the risk. His play was never quite the same after the wrist injury that changed his shooting touch, and the off-ice baggage that has followed him for years only adds to the caution. A low-risk deal might sound reasonable on paper, but for the Oilers, the safer move may be to resist the urge altogether. [Read more 🡒]