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...
Flyers Fans May Have Missed How Much Of The Roster Changed
Free agency has given the Flyers a very different look in a hurry, even before the dust fully settles. Philadelphia has already locked in Tyson Foerster with an extension and brought back Dan Vladar, while a wave of departures has thinned out the roster and sent several familiar names elsewhere around the league.
Noah Juulsen, Lane Pederson and Adam Ginning are among the players who have moved on, a reminder that this has been more than a routine summer tune-up. The Flyers also made one of the bolder moves of the offseason by putting an offer sheet in front of Anaheim center Leo Carlsson, leaving the next step in the hands of Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek and keeping Philadelphias roster picture very much in flux. [Read more 🡒]
Danny Briere Faces A Franchise Shaping Matvei Michkov Decision
The Flyers are still sorting out what their roster is supposed to look like, and the uncertainty around Leo Carlsson is part of why so many other decisions remain in flux. In the middle of that, Matvei Michkov stands out as the one major restricted free agent looming next season, which makes him more than just another young piece to track. For Danny Briere, the question is not only how Michkov develops, but when the organization should commit to him and how much flexibility it wants to preserve while the cap picture stays tight.
One possibility being discussed is a midseason extension, a way to get a better read on Michkov before the usual contract window opens. If he takes a step forward, the Flyers could look at a standard bridge-style deal; if he stalls, the price and the structure could look very different. Either way, the club is trying to protect its young talent without boxing itself in, and Michkovs next stretch could end up shaping more than just his own future. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Still Have One Obvious Swing After Missing On Carlsson
The Flyers pursuit of a young center took a hit when Anaheim matched their offer sheet for Leo Carlsson, but the front offices broader search for a swing at the position does not appear to be over. Columbus center Adam Fantilli sits in the kind of gray area that keeps offer-sheet talk alive, and he is the sort of player Philadelphia has been willing to examine as it looks for a long-term answer down the middle.
Fantillis profile is still very much in formation, which is part of the appeal and part of the uncertainty. He is 21, has not reached the playoffs, has already played for three NHL head coaches and is still chasing his first 60-point season even after scoring 31 goals in 2024-25. The Flyers also have some familiar organizational ties to Columbus that could help with the homework, but the real question is whether this is the kind of target worth another aggressive move if the price lands in the range being discussed. [Read more 🡒]