It’s far too early to call the 2027 NHL Trade Deadline a real shopping season for the Edmonton Oilers, but the outlines are already there. With the 2027 unrestricted free agent class taking shape - minus any in-season extensions that could change the board - the Oilers can start thinking about which rentals or upgrades might help them add depth and scoring for another playoff push.
July 1, 2027 could bring a crowded market, with several notable NHL names potentially reaching free agency. Some, like Cale Makar and Nikita Kucherov, are expected to be locked up by their current teams long before that becomes a real conversation. Others could be different stories entirely: older players with something left in the tank, stars who want out, or injured players who might be ready to return and make an impact.
That leaves Edmonton’s pro scouts with plenty to sort through, and general manager Stan Bowman with the harder job of turning that evaluation into the right deal at the right price.
Among the longer shots, Jason Robertson stands out. He appears to want more than just a roster spot in Dallas, after turning down major offers from a couple of clubs before settling on a one-year, $12 million deal with the Stars.
If he still hasn’t landed an extension by mid-season, Dallas could decide to move him rather than risk losing such a valuable player for nothing next summer. Edmonton would need salary maneuvering and retention to make it work, but Robertson would bring real top-six scoring.
Quinn Hughes is another name that would fit on just about any team, but the odds are stacked against Edmonton. His preference to play in the United States, along with Minnesota’s likely status as a contender, makes it hard to picture him truly being available to the Oilers even if he doesn’t sign a new deal during the season.
The more realistic target list starts with Alex Debrincat, who would be a major pickup if Bowman could pull it off. Detroit looks likely to be in the lottery again, which raises the chances that Debrincat could become available.
Oilers fans have long pointed to him as the player they wish the club had taken in the 2016 draft. He skated with Connor McDavid on the Erie Otters the year before McDavid reached the NHL, and Debrincat followed that up with a 100-plus-point season after McDavid left.
He slipped to the second round, probably because of his size, but his career scoring totals suggest he should have gone much earlier. Now 29, he looks like a player in the late prime of his career and a strong fit for Edmonton.
On the blue line, Vince Dunn would be high on the list if Seattle ends up selling. Dunn had an underrated role on the 2019 Stanley Cup-winning St.
Louis Blues, which helped set him up for selection by the Kraken in the expansion draft. Since then, he has been a steady presence on Seattle’s back end and has shown he can chip in offense from the point.
He’d make sense on a second pair with Connor Murphy, with Dunn free to jump into the attack while Murphy handles the defensive cleanup.
In goal, Jordan Binnington is the kind of name that keeps coming up for a reason. If Edmonton’s goaltending goes sideways, he could be the answer to that problem.
The Oilers already have nearly $7 million tied up at the position, but that hasn’t solved anything, and they’ll have to keep searching until they find something that works. Binnington, now 34, has the résumé and the experience to fit that kind of role, and while he came up short in the Olympics, his 4 Nations performance a couple years ago still stands out.
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