Edmonton’s offseason has already been swallowed up by the coaching change and the goaltending logjam, but the forward group still looks like the area that could use one more swing. The Oilers are believed to be hunting for another addition up front, and the focus is on a legitimate top-six piece if the right player can be pried loose.
A few names keep coming up in the noise around the team, and the list starts with one of the most obvious fits: Alex DeBrincat.
DeBrincat, now with the Detroit Red Wings, is still producing like a true top-line scorer. He’s 28 and just finished a season with 41 goals and 85 points in 82 games played.
He’s also in the final year of his deal, which puts Detroit in a tricky spot. Steve Yzerman could move him and get assets back, or gamble on a new contract.
Edmonton would gladly take on that last year, but the $7.875 million cap hit is a problem unless the Oilers can send money back the other way.
Jake DeBrusk is another name that refuses to go away. The Vancouver Canucks winger has been tied to Edmonton for years, and the connection is easy to see.
He was born in Edmonton, and his father still works with the team in a broadcast role. DeBrusk posted 23 goals and 42 points last season, and at 29, his $5.5 million cap hit is much easier to imagine fitting into the Oilers’ picture.
If Vancouver pushes further into a rebuild, a reunion starts to make real sense. He’d also give Edmonton a useful second-unit power-play option as a net-front presence with soft hands.
Owen Tippett may be the cleanest fit on pure style alone. The Philadelphia Flyers forward is 27, coming off a 28-goal, 23-assist season, and his speed and shot would slide naturally into Edmonton’s top six.
His $6.2 million cap hit is a little rich for the Oilers, but if Philadelphia has to move money after landing Leo Carlsson via an offer sheet, there could be a path through salary retention or a smaller contract coming back. Tippett is entering the prime of his career, and other teams would be in the mix if the Flyers make him available.
The Pittsburgh Penguins show up twice on the list, and for good reason. Rickard Rakell is already on Edmonton’s radar, and he remains a productive winger at 33.
He scored 24 goals and 24 assists in 2025-26 and carries a $5 million cap hit with two years left. The catch is the asking price.
The Penguins have reportedly made him available, but they want a strong return.
Bryan Rust is the other Penguin worth watching. Oilers insider Jason Gregor has mentioned him as a name that may be flying under the radar.
Rust is 34, a steady 20-goal scorer, and he has two years remaining at a $5.125 million cap hit. The Athletic’s Josh Yohe has reported that Penguins GM Kyle Dubas doesn’t want to move him, but that hasn’t stopped contenders from asking about him for years.
Then there’s the one option that doesn’t require a trade at all: Vladimir Tarasenko. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman recently floated the unrestricted free agent as a possible fit in Edmonton.
The Oilers were reportedly interested in Claude Giroux, but after his decision to return to Ottawa, he’s no longer in the picture. Tarasenko has started to emerge as a value add for a team that wants help now.
In Other News...
Oilers Suddenly Have A Deadline Opportunity Fans Have Waited Years For
The Oilers have given themselves something they have not often had at this time of year: real flexibility. After clearing significant salary cap space ahead of the NHL trade deadline, Edmonton is sitting on about $5.9 million in room right now, a figure that could climb sharply as the deadline approaches. For a team that has spent years trying to squeeze every possible move into a tight cap picture, that kind of breathing room changes the conversation around what is possible.
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
Ryan Sheas path to Edmonton has been a long one, winding from a 2015 draft pick of the Blackhawks to Northeastern, then through stops with Dallas and Pittsburgh before he finally found some traction with the Penguins. The left-shot defenseman is coming off the kind of season that put him back on the map, and the Oilers clearly believe there is more upside to tap as they try to reshape a blue line that needs steadier answers.
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
Edmontons improved cap picture has opened the door to a more aggressive kind of summer shopping, and it has put the front office in a spot it has not always enjoyed in recent years. With room to maneuver, the Oilers can look beyond bargain fixes and evaluate whether a real top-six upgrade is worth pursuing, especially for a team still trying to squeeze more support around its stars.
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 🡒]