Oilers' 3 Options To Fix Latest Roster Hole

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

For what feels like the tenth consecutive year, the Oilers need a third-line centre. Adam Henrique has washed out of the role after being acquired last season, ceding it to Mattias Janmark for the time being. Janmark's a useful depth player, but it's certainly not ideal to have a fourth-line winger masquerading as a third-line centre.

That means the Oilers will have to go shopping once again. They'll have to be creative; they're already in the market for another defenceman, not to mention they could really use another top-six scorer.

With only about $6 million available to them at the deadline and little in the way of prospect or draft capital, the Oilers will have to explore plenty of options to find their third-line pivot.

Make a Trade

This is the simplest, yet possibly most difficult, option. It's slim pickings on the trade market: the only two legitimate top-nine options are rentals Yanni Gourde ($5.2 million cap hit) of the Seattle Kraken and Trent Frederic ($2.3 million) of the Boston Bruins.

Gourde brings playoff experience from his days with the Lightning, though Seattle would have to retain some salary. Frederic is much cheaper and only 26, but has had a fairly uneven career in Boston. Maybe a trade isn't the way.

Move Ryan Nugent-Hopkins Down

This is a two-parter: the Oilers would likely only feel comfortable moving Nugent-Hopkins off the top line if there's someone to replace him. That means a trade for a top-six winger.

Luckily, they have plenty of options on that front. Brock Nelson (NYI), Mikael Granlund (SJ), Taylor Hall (CHI), Gustav Nyquist (NSH), and Rickard Rakell (PIT) are all available, listed in order of how much they would improve the Oilers' offence.

There are two big problems with this, however: first, those players will all command significant trade returns. Second, Nugent-Hopkins has been Connor McDavid's wingman for years. Why mess with what works?

Help From The Farm

There have been rumblings that the Oilers will be calling up a forward from Bakersfield soon to join them for the rest of the season. That means either Matthew Savoie or Noah Philp.

While Savoie would have to be a top-six option, Philp is a bottom-sixer all the way. While it would be asking a lot of a rookie to fill that role on the third line, it could be worth a shot. At the very least, they can slot him in there for now, and pivot to an outside option if he can't cut it.

BONUS: An Old Friend

Jonathan Toews is trying to make his return to the NHL. Stan Bowman was his General Manager when he won three Stanley Cups as the captain of the Blackhawks. Toews was one of the best defensive forwards in the game before various health problems derailed his career. Seems pretty simple to me.

Except that Toews hasn't played in the NHL since 2022-23, and he wasn't all that good when he did play. He's also 36 years old. As fun as a Toews comeback story would be, he's just not a safe enough bet to be worth it.

Surveying these options, it seems to be the best course of action would be to call up Philp right away, let him give the spot a try, and if it doesn't work try to pry Frederic loose from Boston. Or else hope that Jonathan Toews finds the fountain of youth.

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