The Edmonton Oilers still have room to make another move, and the search for forward help is far from over.
After beefing up the blue line and sorting things out in goal, GM Stan Bowman and his staff shifted their attention to the front end of the roster, with an eye on adding a skilled forward who could slide into the top six. Claude Giroux was one of the names in the mix, and the Oilers were reportedly willing to go as far as offering him a contract. But the 38-year-old chose to stay put, re-signing with the Ottawa Senators instead.
That leaves Edmonton with options. Bowman still has $7.25 million in cap space, which gives the Oilers some flexibility to chase another impact piece on the open market.
Anthony Mantha is one of the bigger swings available. His 2024-25 season was interrupted by an ACL injury, but he came back in 2025-26 and put together the best numbers of his career, finishing with 33 goals to lead all Pittsburgh Penguins players.
The appeal is obvious. So is the risk.
Mantha brings the highest ceiling of this group, but inconsistency has followed him enough that Edmonton would have to think hard before handing him a deal.
Patrick Kane is another name that stands out, even if he’s no longer the same player who terrorized the league in Chicago. He still produced 163 points in 189 games over his last three seasons with the Detroit Red Wings, which is nothing to shrug off.
Kane has already banked a fortune and owns three Stanley Cup championships, and there’s no sign he’s in a hurry to commit anywhere. If he decides he wants to chase a fourth Cup, Edmonton would make sense.
Vladimir Tarasenko fits a similar lane. He’s not the high-end scorer he once was, but he’s adapted into more of a depth producer and still finds ways to help.
He’s also changed teams a lot in recent years, so security could matter on his next contract. That’s where the Oilers would need to stay disciplined, because they can’t afford another costly mistake on the books.
Michael Bunting would bring a different kind of edge. If Edmonton wants to become more irritating to play against, he’s a clean fit.
The 30-year-old has spent his 418-game career getting under opponents’ skin, but there’s more to his game than that. He showed what he can do beside skilled linemates with a career-best 63 points for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2021-22, and he has scored at least 19 goals in four seasons.
Patrik Laine is the classic buy-low gamble. His 2025-26 season went sideways after surgery to repair a core muscle injury, and even after being cleared for the playoffs, he didn’t get into the Montreal Canadiens lineup.
That’s a sharp drop from the player who was once viewed as one of the league’s elite goal scorers. The upside is still there if he rediscovers that form, but right now he’s looking for a new home and a fresh start.
Eeli Tolvanen may not have the same name value as the others, but he brings something practical. He won’t blow anyone away offensively, yet he can chip in secondary scoring without costing much.
Tolvanen has put up at least 35 points in each of the last three seasons and set a career high with 23 goals in 2024-25. He can move around the lineup, which makes him a useful option for Edmonton as it keeps searching for the right fit.
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PuckPedias projection has only added to the intrigue, with Edmonton potentially able to work with roughly $27 million by deadline day if the numbers continue to line up. Even then, the Oilers still have to navigate the usual trade-deadline balancing act, including finding the right assets to make a major deal happen and keeping an eye on the postseason cap rules. Still, for fans who have been waiting for the front office to have this kind of opening, the next few weeks suddenly look much more interesting. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers May Have Just Made Their Riskiest Blue Line Bet Yet
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Now the real test begins. With Darnell Nurse gone, Shea is expected to step into a second-pairing role and handle tougher minutes than he has seen before, with his work on the penalty kill and at five-on-five likely to determine whether this move looks shrewd or risky. Edmonton is betting that his breakout was a sign of what is still ahead, not just a one-year spike, and that is a wager worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Face One Huge Decision With Their Cap Space Suddenly Open
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The appeal is clear enough: a proven goal scorer who also brings responsible two-way play and could fit into a higher-end forward group without needing the puck on every shift. The harder part is deciding how much that kind of addition should cost, because the Oilers can make the numbers work, but the bigger question is whether the price matches the impact they would be buying. [Read more 🡒]