RSS Oilers Team Notes

[Edmonton Oilers]

McDavid’s 100th point, Draisaitl’s 30th goal help Oilers enroute to 8-1 walloping of Kings: Recap, Reaction and Highlights

The Edmonton Oilers have snapped their near-month long four game losing streak.

After dropping a very winnable game on Wednesday, the Oilers return to action on Thursday, defeating the Los Angeles Kings 8-1 to move their season record to 28-23-8 for 64 points. Let’s take a look at what went on in this one!

Wednesday’s game saw the Oilers score 13 seconds in. This time, it took them nearly seven and a half minutes to score, as Ty Emberson activated on the weak side during a rush, got the puck, and ripped it past Darcy Kuemper to take the 1-0 lead.

Take notes kids, Ty Emberson is a certified sniper. pic.twitter.com/wO9a5ZIhEH

— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) February 27, 2026

Less than a minute later, the Oilers extended their lead to 2-0 thanks to Vasily Podkolzin’s 13th goal of the season. Andrew Mangiapane got the puck over the blue line and got it over to Vasily Podkolzin, who was undefended. Kuemper got a large piece of the shot, but it trickled under his armpit and into the back of the net.

Vasily Pod-Goalz-In pic.twitter.com/ciXVcZB225

— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) February 27, 2026

With just under eight minutes left in the opening frame, former Oiler Warren Foegele cut the Oilers’ lead in half with a deflection past Connor Ingram, sending the Oilers into the dressing room up one. Three minutes into the second, Mangiapane scored his seventh goal of the season, beating Kuemper off the rush.

MANGIAPANE ON THE MOVE FINDS THE BACK OF THE NET pic.twitter.com/NVP0Sb4GOd

— ESPN (@espn) February 27, 2026

Five minutes into the second period, Connor McDavid scored his 35 goal of the season, patiently outwaiting Darcy Kuemper, who ended up all the way in Bhutan to close off the right side of his net. McDavid decided to go around the net, and had a wide open cage to shoot at.

Connor McDavid gets Kuemper pulled, literally. pic.twitter.com/4lx8KEUX7h

— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) February 27, 2026

The outcome of the game was decided midway through the second period. On the power play, Leon Draisaitl’s shot missed the net, but the puck bounced on the boards with Zach Hyman being the first on it for his 24th of the season.

Zach Hyman is a HOT GUY! pic.twitter.com/UJ8xoiDOuU

— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) February 27, 2026

That was the final goal… of the second period. Just 31 seconds into the final frame, the Oilers were on another power play, and McDavid dropped it to Draisaitl after getting the line. The German ripped it past the Kings’ netminder to make it 6-1.

Don’t forget about Drai. pic.twitter.com/3FbvDZPZnD

— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) February 27, 2026

After Wednesday’s game, you knew the Oilers weren’t going to take their pedal off the gas. Five minutes into the third, the Kings iced it, and Matthew Savoie was able to pass to Jake Walman after a winger faceoff win. Walman tickled the rafters and blasted it past Anton Forsberg for his sixth of the season. The left-shot defenceman added another one just over two minutes later, creeping in on the weakside and sneaking it in between the netminder and the post.

Takeaways…​

This game was just so much better than Wednesday’s game. They weren’t necessarily bad in that game, as they managed to find twine five times, but the defence was shaky in the third. On Thursday, the Oilers dominated the Kings in all facets of the game, and it helped they got a few saves.

One thing the Oilers have been doing the past two nights is seeing their defence activate on the weak side. Ty Emberson’s goal was scored that way and so was Jake Walman’s second of the game. On Wednesday, Evan Bouchard’s goal was scored the same way. It’s so nice that Paul Coffey is behind the bench again.

Another difference in the last two games is that the Oilers have been feisty. Like Wednesday, there were numerous scrums throughout the game. It’s nice to see them show some passion that was lacking early in the season, and credit to Trent Frederic for annoying Jeff Malott on the opening faceoff in the third period.

Why do I bring up the penalty that Frederic drew, other than he’s been solid for the past 10 games? Well, that power play led to Connor McDavid reaching his 100th point. With a goal and an assist in this one, McDavid reached the 100-point mark for the ninth time in his career. It’s the sixth consecutive season he’s done so, including the 56-game season in 2020-21.

The exceptions are his rookie season where he suffered a broken clavicle, and the shortened season in 2019-20 where he suffered an injury and the world shutdown, finishing with 97 points on the year. He joins only Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky as players who have reached the 100+ point mark nine times in their career. McDavid is also the first player to reach 100 points this season.

I already noted that Frederic had a good game, but so too did Andrew Mangiapane, who had a goal and an assist in this one, his first multi-point game of the season. He and Frederic nearly combined for a goal on Wednesday, and both have been noticeable for quite a few games right now. Good to see him get one.

Last trade deadline, the Oilers acquired Jake Walman from the San Jose Sharks for a first and a prospect. That trade has worked out pretty well when Walman has been healthy, as he scored twice in this game, giving him seven goals and 17 points in 31 games. It was a better game from his defence partner, Darnell Nurse, who was a +3 with an assist.

Coming out of the Olympic break, Matthew Savoie had two career multi-point games. He’s matched that over the last two games, scoring a goal and picking up two assists on Wednesday, then two assists against the Kings. The St. Albert native has 10 goals and 23 points in 60 games this season.

This doesn’t even mention the performance of Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman. Draisaitl scored his 30th goal of the season, the eighth consecutive season he’s reached that mark. He also added three assists. Hyman had a goal and two assists, giving him 24 goals in his last 35 games.

As noted earlier, the Oilers got some saves from Connor Ingram, as he stopped 21 of 22 shots for a .955 save percentage. It’s the ninth game in 15 games that Ingram has finished with a save percentage above .900. It should be his crease for the rest of the season.

Next up for the Oilers, they face their final Californian team on the road trip, taking on the San Jose Sharks at 2:00 PM MT. The Sharks have lost their last five games.

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Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Oilersnation, FlamesNation, and Blue Jays Nation. Follow her on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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JOIN US AT BRUNCH FOR BEN!​

Mark your calendar for Saturday, February 28th and join us at the Matrix Hotel for Brunch for Ben!

We’re serving up breakfast with a side of hockey on the big screens, mini-putt showdowns, crafts, prizes, giveaways, and plenty more fun.

Cheer on Edmonton. Sink a putt. Win some prizes.

Most importantly? Support an incredible cause — the Ben Stelter Foundation.

Eat breakfast. Have a blast. Make a difference.

Grab your tickets now at Nationgear.ca and we’ll see you at Brunch for Ben!

Source: https://oilersnation.com/news/conno...s-angeles-kings-8-1-recap-reaction-highlights

 

[Edmonton Oilers]

The Oilers have a goaltending problem

The Edmonton Oilers welcomed us all back in classic Oily fashion.

They gave us a glimmer of hope Tuesday night, and then left us with nothing at all. Despite holding two separate two-goal leads, the Oilers managed to leave Anaheim with nothing but a bitter taste. Arguably with more questions as to why the team is failing.

The one question over the break — one I didn’t want to believe — is that the Oilers have a goaltending problem. Depending on which side of the fence you’ve stood on, maybe you’d say they never got rid of it. Unfortunately, Tristan Jarry put together another lacklustre performance, allowing five goals on 25 shots for an .800 save percentage, dropping his numbers to a .863 save percentage and a 3.85 goals against average in his time in Edmonton.

That eventually led to him sitting on the bench for the final 13 minutes. This wasn’t a mercy pull from Kris Knoblauch. This was a you give me no chance to win this game pull. Ruthless from Knoblauch, but what else was he supposed to do?

“I wasn’t happy with the goaltending, especially in the third period,” said Knoblauch after the game. “There were other mistakes there, but you need better goaltending.”

Short and sweet from the coach.

Jarry called out the team following a 7-3 loss to the Minnesota Wild on January 31st, two games before the Olympic break.

“The chances we are giving up are tough,” said Jarry after allowing five goals at home to the Wild. “It’s a lot of grade A chances, breakdowns, so it’s tough to really think about your own game at this point. It’s a whole team game.

“We want to play up and in their end. When we are taking some of those chances, they’re coming back at us. It’s tough. We need to make sure we are managing the puck a little better.”

He walked back on those comments after his next start. That was because he was dreadful against the Flames, too, allowing four goals.

“It’s tough,” said Jarry, again after another loss.

It’s pretty simple in Jarry’s case. He needs to be better, and that needs to start immediately. He’s won only two of his eight starts since returning from injury on January 13th, and has allowed three or fewer goals twice.

Edmonton had a stranglehold on that game. Scoring twice within the final two minutes of the second period put them in a good spot for a strong start to the road trip. Instead, your goaltender collapses, conceding three goals with an expected goals against of 0.46.

“They (the team) need to know what they’re getting every night,” said Devan Dubnyk on Oilersnation Everyday, before yesterday’s game against the Ducks. “You don’t have to look at stats and say he needs a 0.920SV% every night. Some games, if it’s a little crazier, it might be four or five against, but you don’t want that many when it should’ve only been two or three.”

Consistency and unpredictability are major flaws right now. You don’t know what you’re getting shot to shot, nevermind game to game.

Obviously, other players had terrible nights too. Darnell Nurse is right up there with Jarry. However, Jarry was brought in to be this team’s starting goaltender until the Connor McDavid contract, at least. Now the conversation has shifted to when his next start will come.

The problem is Jarry. The solution is also Jarry. He’s more than capable of turning this around. Hopefully, he can regain his composure and stay in control more in-game.

If not, then this trade might go down as one of the worst in Oilers history.

JOIN US AT BRUNCH FOR BEN!​

Mark your calendar for Saturday, February 28th and join us at the Matrix Hotel for Brunch for Ben!

We’re serving up breakfast with a side of hockey on the big screens, mini-putt showdowns, crafts, prizes, giveaways, and plenty more fun.

Cheer on Edmonton. Sink a putt. Win some prizes.

Most importantly? Support an incredible cause — the Ben Stelter Foundation.

Eat breakfast. Have a blast. Make a difference.

Grab your tickets now at Nationgear.ca and we’ll see you at Brunch for Ben!

Source: https://oilersnation.com/news/the-e...altending-problem-tristan-jarry-connor-ingram

 

[Edmonton Oilers]

Flashback Friday: Looking at the Ryan Smyth trade 19 years ago that never should’ve happened

There have been two Edmonton Oilers to hit games played milestones this season.

For the first time in franchise history, a player played their 1,000th game with the Oilers, as Adam Henrique reached the quadruple-digit game mark on October 21st against the Ottawa Senators. On January 18th, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins became the first Oiler to play all of his 1,000 games with the Oilers.

Only one other player in franchise history, Kevin Lowe, would play 1,000 for the Oilers. Over his 19-season career, the defenceman played parts of 15 seasons with the Oilers, tallying 62 goals and 315 points in 1,037 games, reaching the 1,000 games played mark with the Oilers in the 1996-97 season, his final full season in the league. His 1,000th game was played with the New York Rangers in 1992-93.

Third on that list of most games played in the orange and blue is Ryan Smyth. Realistically, he should’ve been one of the rare players to play every single game with the same organization, but extension talks broke down after they couldn’t agree on the average annual value. The thing is, it wasn’t a huge difference either.

So on February 27th, 2007, the Oilers traded Smyth, a catalyst to the creation of Oilersnation. In this edition of Flashback Friday, we’ll look at the first big trade of the Decade of Darkness.

Trading Ryan Smyth​

Let’s look at the context leading up to the trade, both in terms of Ryan Smyth’s career and the situation the Oilers were in. Drafted sixth overall in the 1994 draft, the Banff, Alberta native blossomed into a consistent 25+ goal scorer and 60+ point getter. In 2005-06, he scored a career-high 36 goals and added 30 assists, with his 66 points being the second-most in his career.

The Oilers had made the playoffs when Smyth was on their team in the past, usually playing either the Dallas Stars or Colorado Avalanche, but they never made it out of the second round, and hadn’t made it out of the first round since the 1997-98 season. That changed in the 2006 playoffs, as the eighth-seeded Oilers became the first team in National Hockey League history to make the Stanley Cup Finals, knocking off the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Detroit Red Wings, the San Jose Sharks, and the Colorado Avalanche.

Unfortunately, Dwayne Roloson suffered an injury late in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals, and the Oilers ultimately lost 3-1 in Game 7 of the Finals to the Carolina Hurricanes. Along the way, Smyth scored seven goals and 16 points in 24 games. The best moment from that run was returning in the same game after losing a few teeth, then setting up a triple overtime winner to tie the series against the Sharks at two.

Smyth was on pace to set career-highs with the Oilers, scoring 31 goals and 53 points in 53 games, which is on pace for 45 goals and 82 points over an 82-game season. While Smyth was on pace to have a career-year, the Oilers were nine points out of a playoff spot with 19 games to go, and since they couldn’t agree to terms on an extension, they traded him.

On February 27th, 2007, the Oilers sent the heart and soul of the team to the New York Islanders in exchange for Robert Nilsson, Ryan O’Marra, and a 2007 first round pick that was used to select Alex Plante. Nilsson played 199 NHL games with the Oilers, scoring 31 goals and 98 points. O’Marra played 33 NHL games, scoring a goal and seven points, and Plante played 10 NHL games, picking up two assists.

Smyth finished his Oilers tenure with 265 goals and 549 points in 770 games, ranking seventh in all-time Oilers scoring at that point. He went on to score five goals and 15 points in the Islanders’ remaining 18 games, as the eighth-seeded Islanders fell to the Buffalo Sabres in the first round.

That off-season, Smyth signed a five-year deal with the Colorado Avalanche, playing 132 games with them where he scored 40 goals and 96 points. He was eventually traded to the Los Angeles Kings, where he scored 45 goals and 100 points in 149 games. But this story has a happy ending.

At the 2011 draft, the Oilers sent Colin Fraser and a seventh-round pick in 2012 to the Kings to bring Smyth home for the twilight of his career. He was still productive in 2011-12, the final year of that five-year deal, as he scored 19 goals and 46 points in 82 games. During the lockout shortened 2012-13 season, the Banff native scored two goals and 13 points, and in his final season, Smyth scored 10 goals and 23 points in 72 games.

One of the best moments from the Decade of Darkness came in Smyth’s final game. Donning the C above his heart, Captain Canada was a power play goal away from breaking the franchise record for power play goals in a career. Drawing eight minutes of penalties, the then 38-year-old played just under 24 minutes. While he wasn’t able to break the record, he had a nice send off to end his career in a moment that brings out tears.

In the end, Smyth played 971 regular season games with the Oilers, scoring 296 goals and 631 points. For his career, he played 1,270 games, with 386 goals and 842 points, but he should’ve remained an Oiler for the entirety of his career. It’s hard to look back on February 27th, 2007 with any fondness.

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Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Oilersnation, FlamesNation, and Blue Jays Nation. Follow her on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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PRESENTED BY THE DAILY FACEOFF TRADE DEADLINE SPECIAL​

The 2026 Trade Deadline Special is going LIVE March 6th. Join the Daily Faceoff crew on Friday, March 6th from 9 AM-1:30 PM MT for wall-to-wall coverage of every single move as it happens. Get instant reaction, expert analysis, and exclusive insights from special guests throughout the day. Tune in LIVE on the Daily Faceoff YouTube channel and don’t miss a second of deadline day chaos.

Source: https://oilersnation.com/news/edmon...trade-19-years-ago-never-should-have-happened

 

[Edmonton Oilers]

Pre-Scout: Skidding Sharks host Oilers to wrap-up Pacific roadtrip

The Edmonton Oilers look to close out their three-game road trip with a matinee victory at the Shark Tank after a resounding demolition of the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday.

Connor McDavid and company had Darcy Kuemper and Anton Forsberg spinning in their crease in the 8-1 win, and have scored 13 goals in just two games on this divisional roadtrip.

For the Sharks, it’s been an exciting season with renewed optimism as Macklin Celebrini has risen to become one of the NHL’s true premier players.

But previous glimmers of making the playoffs aren’t twinkling so bright right now. After a 4-1 loss to the Calgary Flames on Thursday, the team’s first game back from the Olympic break, it’s five straight losses for San Jose. That’s a streak that began with a 4-3 overtime loss to Edmonton back on January 29.

Coach Ryan Warsofsky bemoaned his team’s turnovers, as SJ held a 1-0 lead into the latter stages of the second period.

“Just play more on the inside. The way we scored the goal is the way we need to play,” said Warsofsky.

Following the loss, the Sharks sit five points back of the Seattle Kraken for the last wildcard spot in the Western Conference, with two teams ahead of them still to leapfrog. With games in hand, yes, the task is far from impossible, but San Jose is facing a crunch-time test like the franchise hasn’t had since pre-pandemic.

What bodes well for them is this six-game homestand to start the push towards the playoffs that will test their mettle.

Pacific dominance​

While the Oilers’ overall play has been inconsistent this season, one thing that’s keeping them within striking distance of first in the Pacific is their record within the division.

Edmonton is winning these four-point games.

After blowing out the Kings, the Oilers are now 9-4-3 against Pacific opponents. On the road, it’s not as hot with a 3-4-1 mark. Including this game today, the Oilers have 10 divisional games left in their 22 overall, four of those on the road.

“They’re all like four-point games and we’ve got another one against San Jose coming up,” said Zach Hyman. He continued his torrent goalscoring pace with another powerplay tuck, his 22nd goal in 30 games, which leads all NHLers in that span.

“It feels like almost over half our games are against our division and it’s pretty tight, so these are important.”

Depth scoring has been dynamite on the trip with Ty Emberson scoring his fifth career NHL goal to begin against the Kings, and Andrew Mangiapane striking home his seventh of the year.

With little rest, a whole team effort is required against the Sharks.

Sherwood like a win​

Kiefer Sherwood is back and healthy, twice now donning the Sharks sweater since being acquired from the Vancouver Canucks. The pesky forward has 17 goals on the year and he looks for his first point in San Jose.

He was slotted by Celebrini and Will Smith on the Sharks’ top line against the Flames, a line that will be relentless in pursuit of pucks.

The offence is good enough to hang around, it’s the defence and goaltending that is inexperienced. The Sharks have surrendered 21 goals against on their five game skid, as Yaroslav Askarov plays in his first full season in the league.

Celebrini is fifth in league scoring with 81 points, an absurd mark for a teenager, who also led the Olympics in goals with five. He has a strong case for the Hart Trophy. Does he have another gear?

Look toward a veteran presence like Tyler Toffoli, who scored his 16th goal of the season on Thursday, or a sturdy defender like Mario Ferraro, to be guiding forces for this team down the stretch.

Notes:​

• Connor McDavid registered his ninth 100th point season of his career. Only Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux have more seasons with 100-points. It’s an absurd all-time total amongst the greatest to have ever played.
• The Sharks need six more wins to surpass their highest win total of the 2020s. The only time the Sharks had 30-plus victories was 2021-22 with 32.
• Last time, the Sharks hopped out to an early three-goal lead against the Oilers, before the wicked comeback. Will the Sharks sit back if they get a lead again?
• Colin Graf was one of those three goal scorers. The undrafted product is having a terrific season with 15 goals and 31 points.
• Matthew Savoie seems rejuvenated. He has one goal and four assists in his last two games. Double-digit goals now achieved for Savoie.
• It’s coming for Trent Frederic. He’ll snap his 34-game goalless drought soon.
• The Oilers PK since the break: 6/7. Henrique seems comfortable back in his spot.
• The Sharks have middling special teams, with a 19.7 per cent powerplay and a 78.7 per cent penalty kill.
• Edmonton has won seven straight against the Sharks. The last Sharks win vs EDM was on November 9, 2023, the loss that sealed Jay Woodcroft’s fate.

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Michael Menzies is an Oilersnation columnist and has been the play-by-play voice of the Bonnyville Pontiacs in the AJHL since 2019. With seven years news experience as the Editor-at-Large of Lakeland Connect in Bonnyville, he also collects vinyl, books, and stomach issues.

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PRESENTED BY THE DAILY FACEOFF TRADE DEADLINE SPECIAL​

The 2026 Trade Deadline Special is going LIVE March 6th. Join the Daily Faceoff crew on Friday, March 6th from 9 AM-1:30 PM MT for wall-to-wall coverage of every single move as it happens. Get instant reaction, expert analysis, and exclusive insights from special guests throughout the day. Tune in LIVE on the Daily Faceoff YouTube channel and don’t miss a second of deadline day chaos.

Source: https://oilersnation.com/news/pre-s...-host-edmonton-oilers-finish-pacific-roadtrip

 

[Edmonton Oilers]

Oilers can’t defend to save their lives, Trent Frederic scores, and the 4th annual Brunch for Ben

After beating the wheels off the L.A. Kings on Thursday night, the Edmonton Oilers wrapped up their California road trip with one last stop in San Jose to face the sliding Sharks. The Sharks came into the game on a healthy losing streak, and that meant an opportunity for the Oilers to keep building momentum by kicking another team when they’re down. The best teams do it, and the Oilers needed to find a way to do that too. Unfortunately, that’s not what happened. Instead, Edmonton was incredibly flat for big chunks of the game, made mistakes as if it were the point of the sport, and ultimately pissed away another two points in an incredibly frustrating fashion. Final Score: 5-4 Sharks.

THE OTHERS CANNOT STOP THE BLEEDING​

I don’t care if you look at Saturday’s 5-4 loss and want to hang it on the goaltending, the defence, the special teams, or all of the above, but all of those problems point to the fact that the Oilers cannot stop the bleeding in their own zone. They cannot defend, and they do not get enough timely saves when they matter most. As much as I want to point fingers at individuals, the reality is that it’s hard to find anyone who is pulling their weight on the defensive side of the puck. I’m not talking about the offence, the Oilers seem to score goals just fine, but their inability to lock things down is jarring.

This team is supposed to be a Cup contender, but their defensive coverage looks like they’ve never played the game before. They look like they have no idea what’s going on. The Oilers play defence like they’re bailing water on a sinking ship, but instead of using buckets, there are one or two guys trying to make a difference with thimbles and sieves. It’s crazy. But as much as Edmonton’s inability to keeps puck out of the net is a problem, I don’t even know what the solution is. This is the group that’s supposed to carry us to the promised land, but after performances like we saw in Anaheim and in San Jose, I’m having a really hard time buying what the team is trying to sell. Put bluntly, they’ve been awful.

AT LEAST TRENT FREDERIC SCORED?​

As much as I want to sit here and complain about another demoralizing loss and all of the reasons why the Oilers stink right now, I’m deciding to look on the positive side. I’m looking for silver linings. And with the mission for positivity in my mind, how could I not mention Trent Frederic scoring his first goal in 36 games? This guy has taken more heat around these parts than anyone since he signed that eight-year extension — rightfully so, I should add — so I was happy to see him get back on the board. Not that I’m putting sunshine stickers on his report card or anything, but I’ve thought Freddy has looked better over the last handful of games, and it was nice to see him get rewarded for the effort.

Again, I’m not trying to say that one goal will magically wipe out what has been a dreadful season for Frederic. But I am saying that maybe this goal can be the little spark of confidence he needs to finish off strong. I mean, we all saw Frederic put the puck into the net twice, almost as if he didn’t believe it went in the first time, and I wonder if maybe that relief can be helpful down the stretch. I hope it can. Otherwise, if we don’t try to find some positives in what has been a rough situation, these next 7.5 years are going to be miserable, and I really hope that won’t be the case. Like I said, one goal isn’t going to save No. 10’s season by any means, but maybe it can act as a little jolt of life that wakes him up down the stretch. How cool would that be?

The 4th ANNUAL BRUNCH FOR BEN​

On a more important note than the hockey game, I want to take a minute to say thank you to everyone who joined us at the Matrix Hotel on Saturday for the 4th annual Brunch for Ben. Every year, this event grows a little bit bigger, and seeing that room packed with Oilers fans who showed up to support the Ben Stelter Foundation was incredibly special. Whether you were entering raffles, figuring out an angle on any of the amazing prizes we gave away, lining up for the mini golf game, or simply hanging out to watch the game with us, your energy and generosity made the afternoon an incredible success. It was the biggest Brunch for Ben we’ve had yet, and that doesn’t happen without this community showing up the way it always does.

Brunch for Ben has become one of my favourite days on the Oilersnation calendar because it’s a reminder that some things matter more than sports. Yes, we love the Oilers. Yes, it’s fun to get together for a game, but this even means more than that. Coming together to raise money and awareness for the Ben Stelter Foundation and to keep the Stelters’ mission alive is what it’s all about, and my heart is full when I think about the community’s response. I’m very grateful to everyone who spent their Saturday with us, supported the cause, and helped turn an afternoon hockey game into something that genuinely makes a difference. Thank you for backing us, for backing the Ben Stelter Foundation, and thank you for continuing to prove how strong this community really is. From all of us here at the Nation, thank you. I already can’t wait to start planning next year’s event.

PRESENTED BY THE DAILY FACEOFF TRADE DEADLINE SPECIAL​

The 2026 Trade Deadline Special is going LIVE March 6th. Join the Daily Faceoff crew on Friday, March 6th from 9 AM-1:30 PM MT for wall-to-wall coverage of every single move as it happens. Get instant reaction, expert analysis, and exclusive insights from special guests throughout the day. Tune in LIVE on the Daily Faceoff YouTube channel and don’t miss a second of deadline day chaos.

Source: https://oilersnation.com/news/edmon...rederic-scores-goal-4th-annual-brunch-for-ben

 

[Edmonton Oilers]

Three Oilers who made an impact, for better or worse, on the recent three-game road trip

The Edmonton Oilers’ Jekyll-and-Hyde season continued on their past three-game road trip.

They gave up yet another lead to lose to the Anaheim Ducks in the first game, looked like men among boys in a dominating 8-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings, and just when you thought they had turned the page, they came out flat in a 5-4 loss to the San Jose Sharks.

While the big names — Connor McDavid, Evan Bouchard, and Leon Draisaitl — produced as usual, here’s a look at three players who made a noticeable impact on the California road trip, for better or worse.

Matt Savoie​

One of, if not the, biggest positives on the three-game road trip was Matt Savoie, who registered six points, second only to Connor McDavid’s seven, while also leading all forwards with 7:31 minutes on the penalty kill.

Having played one game in the AHL during the Olympic break, it was clear Savoie was in game shape from the get-go, and that showed almost immediately against the Ducks. He picked up his first point of the road trip just 13 seconds into the game, setting up Jack Roslovic for a breakaway goal. He added another assist in the first period and scored a short-lived go-ahead goal in the third by making an excellent read, following the play, and pouncing on the rebound.

Matthew Savoie gives the Oilers the lead!

– @Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/AIBaRI4aNE

— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) February 26, 2026

The next night against the Kings, he registered two more assists, the most notable coming when he skated the puck up ice, made a pass, and earned a secondary assist on Ty Emberson’s first-period goal.

By far, those first two games on the road trip were the most confident Savoie has looked this season, and he carried that into the game against the San Jose Sharks. It showed in the way he was firing the puck.

Photo courtesy of NHL.com via YouTube

In the first period against the Sharks, he got on a shift with a mix of personnel from the first-unit power play and unleashed a one-timer on his offside that caused a scramble in front of the net. With the Sharks on their heels, Draisaitl finished it off with a power-play goal on the same play. Savoie didn’t get credit for an assist, but his one-timer started the sequence that left the Sharks scrambling.

To top it off, the 22-year-old made a nice move to go around a Sharks D-man and slid the puck into the slot to set up Trent Frederic, who buried it, picking up his fifth assist of the road trip.

Savoie has been extremely dependable defensively for the Oilers all season, leading all forwards with 97:43 of penalty-kill time, and this past three-game California road trip may have been proof that the offensive floodgates for him didn’t just open; the dam finally gave way.

Trent Frederic​

Unless you’ve just tuned into the Oilers recently, you’d know that Trent Frederic has struggled heavily for most of the season. However, maybe the Olympic break was exactly what he needed, both physically and mentally, because to me, he looked almost like a completely different player on the Oilers’ past three-game road trip.

The 28-year-old is moving around the ice better, holding onto pucks longer, and making plays, as evident against the Ducks, where he set up two wonderful plays from behind the net that led to high-danger chances in the slot. He didn’t record any points that night, but he posted a 62.01 expected goals for percentage (xGF%) according to Natural Stat Trick.

Against the Kings, he played 15:56 minutes, the second most of the season. While he once again didn’t register any points, the high-danger chances were 8-2 when he was on the ice, and he posted a 76.55 xGF% while playing with Adam Henrique and Vasily Podkolzin.

That said, in the first two games on the road trip, he had good chances to score — one on a near breakaway against the Ducks, where he tried making a move instead of shooting the puck in a panic, and then against the Kings, he deked around a D-man to create a scoring chance. To me, the signs were pointing that Frederic was ‘feeling it.’ So when I went on ‘Pregaming with Bordzy’ before the game against the Sharks, host Aaron Bordato asked me who my pick was for an anytime goalscorer against San Jose, and naturally, my gut instinct picked Frederic, who hadn’t scored in 35 games up until that point.

That prediction came true in the third period. Frederic stayed with the play, Savoie centred the puck into the slot, and Frederic made no mistake, burying it. Not once, but twice — he shot it in again after the goal had already been scored, for good measure.

What a play by Matt Savoie! We are tied at 3's!

: Sportsnet | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/WfDSEBJSva

— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) February 28, 2026

In addition to making good plays, the 28-year-old left an impact physically, leading the team with 15 hits on the trip. That included a heavy one on former Oiler Corey Perry, which temporarily took Perry out of the game.

The three-game sample size is very small, but again, Frederic looks like a completely different player, and the Olympic break may have been the reset he needed. His season had been very poor up to that point, but let’s call it a clean slate from here on. If he can maintain this pace over the remaining 21 games, Oilers fans can be forgiving at times and put his subpar play leading up to the Olympics behind them.

Darnell Nurse​

Between Savoie and Frederic, there were clear positives to take from the past three games, but with the good came some bad, and Darnell Nurse had a difficult road trip overall.

In total, Nurse was on the ice for six goals against at 5v5, with four of them coming in the first game of the road trip against the Ducks, including two in particular that were worth nitpicking.

For example, on the Ducks’ fifth goal, which tied the game, the Oilers’ D-man allowed rookie Beckett Sennecke to gain the zone freely without impediment, cut to the middle of the ice, and pump fake a couple of times before shooting through netminder Tristan Jarry.

Photo courtesy of NHL.com via YouTube

The Oilers’ netminder surely should’ve made the save, but Nurse’s decision to give the rookie that much time and space to cut to the middle and pick his spot never should have happened. To top it off, there wasn’t even an attempt to block the shot. As you can see in the picture above, Nurse’s body is turned instead of being square to the shooter.

On the Ducks game-winning goal, fingers could’ve been pointed to all five Oiler’s skaters on the ice, but the initial blunder unfortunately goes to Nurse.

With 1:23 left in the game, on what should’ve been a routine D-to-D pass and a play up ice, Nurse bobbled the puck, and Leo Carlsson took advantage. He outhustled the Oilers’ blueliner to the puck, and after a couple of passes, Cutter Gauthier scored the game-winner. What should’ve been a simple, routine play ended up costing the Oilers at least a point in that game.

Ducks have the lead 6-5.

– @Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/nv7lEt6EzZ

— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) February 26, 2026

The Oilers as a whole played much better in the 8-1 shellacking of the Kings, Nurse included, who registered an assist. But the team’s Jekyll-and-Hyde tendencies continued against the Sharks, with Edmonton coming out flat instead of building on the momentum from the Kings game. Nurse got caught up ice early, which started a series of Sharks scoring chances. Then, on the first goal against, he ran into his netminder, Connor Ingram, knocking away his stick, which led to a Macklin Celebrini goal when Ingram tried to retrieve it.

On the third goal against, Nurse was part of a sequence where he lost track of the puck and ended up screening his own netminder, with his body turned away from the play — once again, not square to the shooter — before Barclay Goodrow shot it into the net.

Photo courtesy of NHL.com via YouTube

Overall, the Oilers were cooking up turnovers at a rate higher than the busiest of California bakeries against San Jose, and Natural Stat Trick indicated that Nurse led the way with three. For some reason, though, it felt like there were even more, and one of his giveaways led to a high-danger chance for Celebrini.

That said, in two of the three games on the road trip, Nurse had very tough outings. While many Oilers struggled, Nurse — one of the team’s leaders and a player who wears an ‘A’ — simply needs to play better down the stretch.

The saving grace is that these were the first three games since the Olympic break, and fingers crossed that rust was a big factor. Now that the team is heading home, they can get a practice in, and with Paul Coffey back to work his magic, hopefully it will help the Oilers’ D-man improve his game. For the Oilers’ sake, let’s hope it does.

PRESENTED BY THE DAILY FACEOFF TRADE DEADLINE SPECIAL​

The 2026 Trade Deadline Special is going LIVE March 6th. Join the Daily Faceoff crew on Friday, March 6th from 9 AM-1:30 PM MT for wall-to-wall coverage of every single move as it happens. Get instant reaction, expert analysis, and exclusive insights from special guests throughout the day. Tune in LIVE on the Daily Faceoff YouTube channel and don’t miss a second of deadline day chaos.

Source: https://oilersnation.com/news/three...r-or-worse-on-the-recent-three-game-road-trip

 

[Edmonton Oilers]

Oilers 2026 trade deadline target: Kiefer Sherwood

The San Jose Sharks have started to slip in the standings.

Despite a 5-4 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday afternoon, the Sharks are starting to slip in the standings. As of Sunday morning, they sit five points out of a playoff spot, losing five of their last six games.

Earlier this season, when the Sharks were still in a playoff spot, they sent two seconds and Cole Clayton to the Vancouver Canucks for Kiefer Sherwood. Well, on Thursday, The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reported that the Sharks are open to flipping the hard-hitting winger.

With that being said, let’s take a look if Sherwood is a fit for the Oilers, his cap hit, and his potential cost of acquisition ahead of the March 6th trade deadline.

Kiefer Sherwood’s fit​

Last season, Sherwood landed a National Hockey League record 460 hits. His play style hasn’t changed at all, as his 222 hits are second to Yakov Trenin’s 297 hits, but Sherwood has played 13 fewer games. One area whereOilers are lacking is physicality, so he’s already a fit for their middle six.

But when you add the fact that he’ll almost certainly reach the 20-goal mark for the first time in his career, he may be the perfect fit for the Oilers. Last season with the Canucks, he scored 19 goals and 40 points in 78 games, so it’s not just a fluke season for a soon-to-be free agent.

Of course, the Oilers’ biggest need is a defenceman who can play on the right side with Darnell Nurse, with the team being linked to Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Justin Faulk in recent times. That said, they could use some attitude, and Sherwood would bring that.

Kiefer Sherwood’s cap hit​

If you’ve read any of these articles, you know the drill when it comes to the Oilers’ cap situation. Right now, they have $10,508 in cap space, with it rising to $12,009 at the March 6th trade deadline. Any move that they make would require cap to be moved out, and Andrew Magiapane, with his $3.6 million cap hi,t appears to be the most likely candidate.

However, Sherwood is on an affordable contract, as he earns just $1.5 million until the end of the 2025-26 season. He’s due for a big raise, an extension that the Oilers may not be able to offer him. They can easily absorb his cap hit whenever they move Mangiapane. Additionally, the Sharks can retain 50% of his salary, meaning they can get him at what is a league minimum contract.

But what about his cost?

Kiefer Sherwood’s cost of acquisition​

Less than two months ago, the Sharks sent their 2026 and 2027 second-round picks and a prospect to the Canucks for Sherwood’s services. Since the trade, he’s played just three games, where he’s been held pointless with six penalty minutes.

It stands to reason that the Sharks will look for a similar package if they choose to trade him, or potentially even get a first-round pick. The Oilers have their 2027 first, as well as their second-round pick in the next two drafts, so it can be done if that’s what the Sharks are looking for. If they wish for the Sharks to retain, expect them to pay extra.

Trade deadline preview series​

• Meet the Sellers: The St. Louis Blues have plenty of players to move
• Trade deadline target: Bobby McMann
• Meet the Sellers: Vincent Trocheck is the New York Rangers’ best trade chip
• Trade deadline target: Boone Jenner
• Meet the Sellers: The bottom falls out for the Vancouver Canucks
• Trade deadline target: Rasmus Ristolainen
• Meet the Sellers: With playoffs unlikely, Maple Leafs could be big players
• Trade deadline target: Brayden Schenn
• Meet the Sellers: The Chicago Blackhawks struggle to remain afloat
• Trade deadline target: Ryan Hartman
• Meet the Sellers: The New Jersey Devils are bad again
• Trade deadline target: Ryan O’Reilly

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Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Oilersnation, FlamesNation, and Blue Jays Nation. Follow her on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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PRESENTED BY THE DAILY FACEOFF TRADE DEADLINE SPECIAL​

The 2026 Trade Deadline Special is going LIVE March 6th. Join the Daily Faceoff crew on Friday, March 6th from 9 AM-1:30 PM MT for wall-to-wall coverage of every single move as it happens. Get instant reaction, expert analysis, and exclusive insights from special guests throughout the day. Tune in LIVE on the Daily Faceoff YouTube channel and don’t miss a second of deadline day chaos.

Source: https://oilersnation.com/news/oilers-2026-trade-deadline-target-kiefer-sherwood

 

[Edmonton Oilers]

Oilers Thoughts: The Ingram or Jarry debate, McDavid not slowing down, rethinking the Nurse-Walman pairing, and more

It’s crunch time for the Edmonton Oilers with only 21 games remaining.

After earning just two points out of a possible six on the recent California road trip, sitting only four points above the playoff cut line, and with the trade deadline coming on March 6, they’ve got to be feeling the pressure.

With that in mind, in this edition of Oilers Thoughts, we discuss the Oilers’ goaltending duo on the recent three-game road trip and who should get the next start, Connor McDavid maintaining his pace post-Olympics, the team’s depth scoring stepping up despite defensive struggles, and whether the Oilers should be rethinking the Darnell Nurse–Jake Walman pairing.

Who should get the next start: Connor Ingram or Tristan Jarry?​

Before the Oilers headed out on their three-game California road trip, I explored which netminder should get the bulk of the starts moving forward — Tristan Jarry or Connor Ingram. I mentioned that Jarry should get the slightly longer leash to start, but ultimately it should boil down to this: you win, you’re in. If no one is winning, whoever plays better gets the next start, and repeat until someone takes the reins and runs with it.

Jarry put up a stinker against the Anaheim Ducks on Feb. 25, allowing five goals, with some sneaking right through him, before he was pulled in favour of Ingram. Ingram won the next night, 8-1 against the Los Angeles Kings, and while he wasn’t heavily tested, he still made some big stops, posting a .955 save percentage (SV%).

Tristan Jarry getting pulled in a third period tie during the first game back after extended break. If that doesn't send a message to your goaltender…

— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) February 26, 2026

It seems like head coach Kris Knoblauch applied the ‘you win, and you’re in’ method, giving Ingram the start against the San Jose Sharks. However, the Oilers’ netminder allowed five goals, and while the loss can’t be pinned entirely on him — the team in front of him gave up too many chances against — and he did make a series of big saves, it was by no means a Grade-A performance, as he posted a .848 SV%.

So, who should get the next start? Since Ingram wasn’t at his best last game, I’d turn to Jarry for the next game against the Ottawa Senators and see if he can find a rhythm. Also, perhaps he’ll be a little extra motivated after being pulled in a tie game in his last start.

Nevertheless, not even a prime Dominik Hasek could have bailed the Oilers out, given some of their lacklustre defensive play over the road trip. So while the netminders need to be better, the team as a whole needs to tighten up on defence, which we’ll talk about a bit later.

The highs and lows of the Olympics haven’t slowed down Connor McDavid​

If I had to guess the Olympics, I would’ve expected Connor McDavid to start the California road trip a bit slow, given the emotional rollercoaster he went through in Milan, the travel, and the likely jet lag. However, true to the superhuman player he is, he carried the elevated level he showed against the world’s best right back into the NHL season.

He tallied two assists against the Ducks, and on one play, nearly deked through the entire team, almost scoring the go-ahead goal at full speed. Against the Los Angeles Kings, he added another clip to the “Connor McDavid career highlight reel goal package” when he outwaited Darcy Kuemper and, as the rest of Kuemper’s teammates slid to the ice, casually put the puck into the net.

Connor McDavid gets Kuemper pulled, literally. pic.twitter.com/4lx8KEUX7h

— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) February 27, 2026

He finished the night with a goal and an assist, bringing his point total to 100 on the season, which was the ninth time he has reached that milestone in his career.

His engine wasn’t revved all the way up against the Sharks, but he still delivered two magnificent passes, finishing the night with a pair of assists.

After the big loss in the Olympic gold medal game, the heavy minutes he played throughout the Olympics, the travel back to Edmonton, and even the outside chatter questioning the Oilers captain’s ability to win big games, I thought fatigue might set into McDavid’s play and that we might see him ease his way into the road trip. But seven points over the last three games suggest otherwise, and the captain appears more than ready for the final 21-game sprint.

Oilers’ depth scoring shows up on recent three-game road trip​

The Oilers’ California road trip wasn’t ideal, winning only one of three games, but if there’s a silver lining, it’s that their depth scoring finally decided to show up.

The Oilers had 12 different players score goals over the past three games, and most notably, a few players took a step forward offensively on the trip: Matt Savoie registered six points, Trent Frederic scored for the first time in 35 games, and Jake Walman scored three goals, finding the back of the net in back-to-back games for the first time since 2023.

What a play by Matt Savoie! We are tied at 3's!

: Sportsnet | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/WfDSEBJSva

— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) February 28, 2026

That said, they scored 17 goals over the past three games, which is absolutely tremendous, but the downside is that they failed to lock things down when the games were tight, which brings us to our next point.

Oilers must commit to playing defence​

The Oilers have the firepower up front and pieces that most NHL teams drool over — top-end elite offensive talent. Yet committing to playing defence, I feel, is something almost anyone in the NHL can do. We’ve seen this core of Oilers do it as recently as last season, but for some reason, that attention to the extra details on the defensive side just isn’t clicking with this group.

And a staggering stat that Jason Gregor recently posted demonstrates this: the Oilers have scored the most goals (44) over the last ten games, while also allowing the most goals against (46).

Oiler last 10 games:
Scored the most goals in NHL (44).
Allowed the most goals in NHL (46).

Goalies need to make a few more saves, but their skaters need to be much better defensively. And not just one or two. Way too leaky overall.

— Jason Gregor (@JasonGregor) March 1, 2026

I recently singled out Darnell Nurse for a few defensive errors he made on the recent road trip that cost the team — failing to prevent entries, not being square to shooters, etc. They were simple defensive mistakes, but the truth is, it’s not just him. McDavid, despite how red-hot he is, had several turnovers and was on the ice for three goals against the Sharks. Ty Emberson and Spencer Stastney got caught puck-watching behind the net in that game as well, allowing for an easy tap-in in front of the net. Additionally, against the Ducks, there was more puck-watching and instances of Oilers failing to pick up trailing opponents.

There are 21 games left, and the Oilers are just four points out of the playoff cut line. We’ve seen this team and its core players lock it down defensively before. They can do it again, but to me, it’s a mindset thing.

You have to commit to playing defence. What does that take? Perhaps the answer lies in sacrificing a bit of offence to pay extra attention to the details on the defensive side. After all, there’s no sense in scoring a pile of goals if you’re not winning hockey games. Whatever the case, the answer is somewhere in that locker room, and perhaps a fresh cup of (Paul) Coffey is what it takes to wake them up.

It might be time to rethink the Nurse-Walman pairing​

As mentioned, Nurse had a tough road trip and was likely the culprit on several goals against, most notably his giveaway when the game was tied 5-5 against the Ducks with 1:23 remaining, which led to Cutter Gauthier scoring the game-winner.

At the same time, fingers can’t be pointed solely at the Oilers’ D-man, because his partner, Jake Walman, had some questionable moments on the road trip as well, despite scoring three goals. For example, on the Sharks’ second goal against, there was confusion in front between him and Ingram, and the puck bounced around before going into the net.

On that note, the Nurse–Walman pairing was on the ice for seven goals against on the road trip, and according to Natural Stat Trick, the high-danger chances were 9–16 in favour of the opposition. That said, at this point, 61 games into the season, I’m questioning whether Walman — a left-shot playing on the right side — is the right partner for Nurse.

And just like that San Jose gets their two goal lead back.

: Sportsnet | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/9nt2QITxBY

— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) February 28, 2026

The duo had a good stretch together last playoffs, where in 105:51 minutes played, they posted a 66-36 edge in shots and an 8-2 goal advantage. This season, in 370:41 minutes played at 5v5, that pairing has been outscored 19-21, with scoring chances 166-211, favouring the opposition.

With the trade deadline fast approaching on March 6, ideally, the Oilers should be looking for a top-four, right-handed shot D-man — something they’ve been after for a while. The question is, who? The Toronto Maple Leafs’ Oliver Ekman-Larsson has been mentioned as a potential fit in Edmonton, though he’s not a right-handed shot, and NHL_Sid recently questioned whether giving up a first-round pick would be worth it for him.

There’s also Justin Faulk of the St. Louis Blues, whose name has also been linked to the Oilers in trade rumours.

The right-handed Faulk has put up 32 points this season and has been recognized for his ability to deny entries into the zone while also generating offence from the right side. Though he carries a $6.5 million cap hit and has one year remaining on his contract after this season, any deal would come down to the St. Louis Blues’ asking price and whether the Oilers can make the money work.

Nevertheless, anything can happen between now and the trade deadline, and if I had to pick the Oilers’ top priority for a deadline acquisition, I’d say it should be a top-four D-man, whoever it is, because the Nurse–Walman pairing experiment just doesn’t seem to be working.

PRESENTED BY THE DAILY FACEOFF TRADE DEADLINE SPECIAL​

The 2026 Trade Deadline Special is going LIVE March 6th. Join the Daily Faceoff crew on Friday, March 6th from 9 AM-1:30 PM MT for wall-to-wall coverage of every single move as it happens. Get instant reaction, expert analysis, and exclusive insights from special guests throughout the day. Tune in LIVE on the Daily Faceoff YouTube channel and don’t miss a second of deadline day chaos.

Source: https://oilersnation.com/news/edmon...own-rethinking-darnell-nurse-jake-walman-more

 

[Edmonton Oilers]

Oilers get big trade win with responsible addition in Connor Murphy

General manager Stan Bowman really sat in front of the media with a straight face for a 20-minute State of the Edmonton Oilers press conference, knowing damn well that he had a defenceman he going to acquire within moments.

“We might add a defenceman, we might add a forward, I don’t know at this point,” said Bowman on Monday morning.

No more than an hour later, it was confirmed from various sources that he had traded for Connor Murphy from the Chicago Blackhawks. In terms of awkward timing for a press conference, and avoiding media fodder about a specific issue, this ranks highly.

So kudos to the public relations folks at the Oilers, who’ve been sly for a few weeks now. Edmonton announced the rehiring of Paul Coffey in the middle of a Team Canada do-or-die Olympic game, after all.

They’re earning their money.

But so is Bowman and this team of capologists on his deal, who’ve manoeuvred like Soviet gymnasts in the past 30-odd hours to have a trade like this have as little impact on the active roster as possible. Both Andrew Mangiapane and Alec Regula cleared waivers today, who needed to go down to have youngsters Josh Samanski and Isaac Howard recalled, before they placed Mattias Janmark on LTIR, so their bonus money wouldn’t count against the cap, likely allowing Howard to be sentback down to make the cap money work for Murphy. The Oilersnation Everyday guys did a great job explaining it.

Bottom line: the deal works.

A stopper​

The Oilers parted with a 2028 second-round pick for Murphy, who comes with salary retention at $2.2 million. He’s a veteran, 32-year-old, right-shot defenceman who’s played more than 800 NHL regular-season games, and seems to provide exactly what the Oilers desperately lack this season – sturdy defence.

The trade makes the team better today. There are no current players that are being subtracted, there were no first-round picks involved, and there were no top organizational prospects (Savoie, Howard, Hutson, etc.) going back the other way.

Murphy is a large, 6-foot-4, 212-pound stay-at-home blueliner, and as unfrisky offensively as it comes. That’s just fine, especially in the aftermath of a road trip, where the Oilers score 17 goals but lose two out of three games. We have sexy offence at home, kids.

Murphy was first over the boards on the Blackhawks’ No. 1-ranked penalty kill, which sits at 85.7 per cent, compared to the Oilers’ current rate of 76.9 per cent.

I’m no analytical wiz, and there’s a variety of different models out there, but NHL Sid here on Oilersnation does great work helping break it down. He relayed that Murphy is ranked third among all defencemen this season in Evolving Hockey’s Wins Above Replacement.

Check, check, check.

It even passes the Bowman comfort barometer, as the Oilers GM reacquires a player he traded for in 2017, and his first name is Connor (which always increases your odds of joining the Oilers).

And while not a great first pass nor an offensive demon, he isn’t dreadful. At the very least, he has four goals and 13 points this season. That’s more points than Ty Emberson and Spencer Stastney, as well as more goals than Trent Frederic, Adam Henrique, and Curtis Lazar. It’s at least something.

‘There’s more from within’​

I wrote on Sunday about how I was worried about this deadline and what assets might be given up for medium-tier players. While a rental, this is a sound and reasonable trade that fulfills a need at a cheap cost.

It’s hard to hate.

If there’s any critique, Murphy has only played nine playoff games, and those were all in the COVID-19 Edmonton playoff bubble. Murphy playing on a team with legitimate aspirations will be an adjustment, and hopefully a seamless one.

“It’d be nice to bring a player or two in, I think,” said Bowman. “But also the biggest way we’re going to be a better team is that – we got a lot of good players here, and they’re talented. It’s a talented group. I think there’s more from within.

“That’s probably the way that we’re going to become a better team. Certainly, adding a player or two is something we’re looking for, and I think it can be helpful, but it’s not like it’s going to completely change the fortunes of our team. We’ve got a lot of really good players here, and it’s that commitment from our group to playing smarter hockey, winning hockey, I think, is going to probably pay the biggest dividends.”

Bowman got some business taken care of early, with the trade deadline looming on Friday. The war chest is largely intact for a third-line centre or another winger.

He begins this silly season with a solid, responsible, and well-executed player-for-asset trade.

It’s a trade win he needed after Tristan Jarry’s acquisition, which cost the Oilers a whole lot for very similar production back in December.

PRESENTED BY THE DAILY FACEOFF TRADE DEADLINE SPECIAL​

The 2026 Trade Deadline Special is going LIVE March 6th. Join the Daily Faceoff crew on Friday, March 6th from 9 AM-1:30 PM MT for wall-to-wall coverage of every single move as it happens. Get instant reaction, expert analysis, and exclusive insights from special guests throughout the day. Tune in LIVE on the Daily Faceoff YouTube channel and don’t miss a second of deadline day chaos.

Source: https://oilersnation.com/news/edmonton-oilers-big-trade-win-responsible-addition-connor-murphy

 

[Edmonton Oilers]

Pre-Scout: Oilers host Sens team with rejuvenated Ullmark and Tkachuk under siege

With as boisterous a personality as Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk has, the grand irony of his Team USA gold medal at the Olympics turning into a media interrogation upon his return to Canada’s capital dominated headlines around the team last week.

Tkachuk and Jake Sanderson won gold, of course, over the likes of Connor McDavid and Team Canada, as these competitors will butt heads again on Tuesday night, when the Edmonton Oilers host the Senators.

Luckily for Brady’s sake, it’s a hockey game, not a math test.

But the math for the Sens needs to improve with victories to make the playoffs a reality this season. Heading into Tuesday, Ottawa is five points back of the last wild card spot, and analysts figure the team needs a .740 win percentage to have a chance.

The beginning of five straight on the road went off with a satisfying win over rival Toronto Maple Leafs, who were simply overmatched and beaten pillar to post 5-2.

“I thought it was a great game,” said forward Dylan Cozens, who had a goal and two assists.

The 25-year-old is resurfacing as a legitimate top offensive weapon. Cozens has 46 points in 59 games this season, his best offensive year since his career year of 68 points in 2022-23.

“We came out right from puck drop, ready to go. I think we didn’t give up much either and found the back of the net, which is big. I think it was a great 60 minutes.”

Oilers add a Connor, need a D​

Meanwhile, the Edmonton Oilers play their first home game in about a month. Not since the loss to the Leafs on Feb. 3 have Oilers fans been able to watch their team in person.

But consistency has been elusive. Overall, the Oilers have lost five of their last six games, and just scored 17 goals on a three-game road trip, only to win once and end Jim Hillier’s career in Los Angeles.

Defensive structure – not just for a sequence, not just for a period – eludes them, as they’ve allowed the most goals in the NHL in their last 10 games.

Enter Connor Murphy, whom the Oilers acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday, whose bread and butter is stops and sandpaper. Murphy, however, won’t lace up the skates tonight, expected to arrive in Edmonton late in the afternoon.

Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch, meanwhile, skated different pairs at practice before the deal was finalized, with Walman-Bouchard, Nurse-Ekholm, and Ekholm-Stastney together.

The Murphy addition comes along with Josh Samanski likely surviving the salary cap gymnastics and is really intended to play with the Oilers, with Isaac Howard going right back down. All cap machinations from the team with spreadsheets in the front office.

Before the trade happened, GM Stan Bowman spoke for 20 minutes to the media. While he was coy about what trades could come, he didn’t absolve the team from poor defensive play.

“The biggest way we’re going to be a better team is that – we got a lot of good players here, and they’re talented. It’s a talented group. I think there’s more from within,” said Bowman.

It’s high time. The Oilers officially slipped into the eighth spot in the Western Conference on Monday night as the Kraken snapped the Hurricanes’ 12-game point streak in a 2-1 win to take third spot in the Pacific. Nashville and Los Angeles both lost in regulation.

The Oilers play twice this week at home, and this will be the last time before the trade deadline on Friday.

Ullmark back to form?​

Other teams are exceeding the Oilers’ desire to play a two-way game as of late. For Ottawa, so much of what plagued them early in the season was one of the worst save percentage runs in the modern era of the NHL.

At one point, they were close to the expansion Senators’ level.

While Tkachuk’s drama has stolen the spotlight, the controversy surrounding goaltender Linus Ullmark just weeks ago was ugly, while he was away on mental health leave.

The former Vezina Trophy winner did return and has been really good since: 3-0-1, .918 save percentage, 1.75 goals against average. Those numbers from Ullmark are much closer to his career averages. He will be the biggest factor if the team can threaten a run.

Leon Draisaitl’s German teammate Tim Stützle has been fighting illness since returning from Milano, finally practicing on Monday. But he still played on Saturday, and even extended his point streak to nine games, accruing 12 points in that span. He’s the team leader in points with 63.

Notes:​

• OTT record: 29-22-8. EDM record: 29-24-8. Eerily similar.
• Despite where they sit in the standings, insider Elliotte Friedman believes the Sens will be busy at the deadline, saying they, “think they are better than their record indicates.”
• As if another Tkachuk needed to weigh in, father Keith thinks the team needs to add at the deadline too. In conversation with the Missin’ Curfew podcast recently, he said, “I think Ottawa has to be in a position to be a buyer, to help these guys out, to get them some more help. And that’s what I expect from them. And I expect them to be in the playoffs.” Sound like a threat? Brady’s contract expires in 2028.
• Drake Batherson is coming off of a two-goal game, notching his 21st of the season and 51st point. This is his fourth straight 20-goal season.
• David Perron hasn’t played since Jan. 20 due to a sports hernia.
• Mattias Janmark is expected to have season-ending shoulder surgery soon.
• Despite being 23rd in the league in goals against, averaging 3.19, the Senators all the fewest shots on goal per game, just 24.4.
• Edmonton again could have its way with the Senators PK. OTT is just 73.1 per cent.
• These two teams are top-four in the league in faceoff win percentage. OTT is third at 54.8 per cent, EDM is fourth at 52.8.
• Tristan Jarry is expected to start, but I’ve seen no official decision. Jarry hasn’t played since being pulled after allowing five goals against the Anaheim Ducks last Wednesday, dropping his save percentage with the Oilers to .863.
• The Oilers defeated the Sens 3-2 in overtime back on Oct. 21, thanks to a Jake Walman blast. If he does stay up, Isaac Howard scored his first career NHL goal in that game.
• Edmonton has won six of their last seven vs. Ottawa.

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Michael Menzies is an Oilersnation columnist and has been the play-by-play voice of the Bonnyville Pontiacs in the AJHL since 2019. With seven years news experience as the Editor-at-Large of Lakeland Connect in Bonnyville, he also collects vinyl, books, and stomach issues.

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PRESENTED BY THE DAILY FACEOFF TRADE DEADLINE SPECIAL​

The 2026 Trade Deadline Special is going LIVE March 6th. Join the Daily Faceoff crew on Friday, March 6th from 9 AM-1:30 PM MT for wall-to-wall coverage of every single move as it happens. Get instant reaction, expert analysis, and exclusive insights from special guests throughout the day. Tune in LIVE on the Daily Faceoff YouTube channel and don’t miss a second of deadline day chaos.

Source: https://oilersnation.com/news/pre-s...nated-linus-ullmark-brady-tkachuk-under-siege

 

[Edmonton Oilers]

Five-point night from Draisaitl helps Oilers overcome dastardly defensive performance against Senators: Recap, Reaction and Highlights

The cardiac Edmonton Oilers have found a way to win once again.

On Tuesday evening, the Oilers hosted the Ottawa Senators for their first home game since the start of February, defeating the team from the Nation’s capital by a score of 5-4 in overtime, the second time they’ve beaten the Senators in overtime this season. Let’s take a look at what went on in this one.

It took just three and a half minutes for the Senators to get on the board. Jake Walman’s breakout pass was turned over in the neutral zone, giving the Senators the puck. Evan Bouchard pinched too high at the Oilers’ blue line, creating a two-on-one for the Senators, with Dylan Cozens ripping it past Connor Ingram.

Cousins Cozens#GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/roJ1gEj7de

— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) March 4, 2026

Five minutes into the first period, the Oilers found the game-tying goal after sustained zone time. Linus Ullmark couldn’t freeze the puck, and it popped out behind the net. Mattias Ekholm passed it through the crease to a wide-open Leon Draisaitl, who buried it for his 32nd of the season.

Hot potato #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/cUM1IInXdQ

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) March 4, 2026

The Senators restored their 2-1 lead just a minute and a half later thanks to a power play goal, and the score stood there for a bit. That was until Draisaitl scored his second of the game. He attempted to centre it from behind the net, with the puck taking a few deflections to get past Ullmark.

They don’t ask how #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/Az3kXdkVCA

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) March 4, 2026

Scoring in the second period belonged to the Senators. Four and a half minutes into the middle frame, the Senators restored the one-goal lead as Tim Stützle made a nice cross-ice pass to a wide open Drake Batherson, tapping it past Ingram. Not even a minute later, the Senators took a 4-2 lead as Ingram couldn’t get the stoppage, and the Oilers didn’t defend the crease well enough.

Back-to-back games with a pair of goals for @drrakebatherson #GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/uHiX7cMNK8

— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) March 4, 2026

Down two heading into the third period, the Oilers received an early power play. Draisaitl got the puck in his spot and fired it in for what appeared to be a hat trick, but upon a further review, the puck deflected off Ryan Nugent-Hopkins skate and in. It was the longest tenured Oilers’ 15th of the season.

Nuge’s skate putting the trick in hat-trick #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/zv7Bg2u7f5

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) March 4, 2026

The cardiac Oilers returned on Tuesday. Down 4-3 with just over a minute left, the Oilers pulled their netminder after the Senators iced it. They got some sustained zone time, and Draisaitl found Zach Hyman on the doorstep for his 25th of the season.

TIE MAN #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/r410LGVzXa

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) March 4, 2026

In overtime, Brady Tkachuk held Connor McDavid to deny a two-on-one, but it sent the Oilers to a power play. On that power play, Bouchard wired it home. Funnily enough, both overtime victories over the Senators this season saw an Oiler defenceman end it.

BOUCH BOMB #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/vYg181onRY

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) March 4, 2026

Takeaways…​

Scoring hasn’t been a problem for the Oilers since the end of the Olympic break, as they’ve been able to beat the netminder 22 times in four games. It’s been keeping the puck out of the net, because in three of the four games, they’ve allowed four or more goals.

Goaltending plays a part in that, as Connor Ingram allowed four goals on 21 shots for an .810 save percentage. It’s just not nearly good enough, especially since the Oilers controlled the pace of play for the majority of the game. They were lucky to get the win.

That said, goaltending will be helped once Connor Murphy joins the team, as he’s had a great defensive season so far. Their penalty kill could definitely use him as well. Speaking of defence, Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard were reunited before the end of the game.

It looked as if Leon Draisaitl scored his 12th career hat trick early in the third period, but the puck bounced off Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ skate and in. Rather unfortunate, but at least he finished with two goals and three assists.

I’m under the belief that if Zach Hyman doesn’t suffer an injury in the Western Conference Final last season, the Oilers would’ve won it all. Since Nov. 29, Hyman has 25 goals in 37 games.

Matthew Savoie is on a four-game point streak since the break, where he has a goal and seven points in that span. He, alongside Jack Roslovic and Draisaitl, have found some chemistry recently. It would be ideal to keep them together, as Vasily Podkolzin and Trent Frederic have strung together a few good games in a row.

Podkolzin was also involved in a fight, as he dropped the mitts with Ridly Greig after the Senator laid out Ekholm with a clean hit behind the net. About two punches were thrown in the fight before Greig just wrapped up Podkolzin for the remainder of the fight.

The Oilers were down to 11 forwards rather early in this game, as Curtis Lazar left the game after getting banged up. Rather unfortunate, as the Oilers’ bottom-six is noticeably better when he is in the lineup.

Next up for the Oilers is a 2006 Stanley Cup Finals rematch, as they host the Carolina Hurricanes at 7 PM MT on Friday. That’s the same day as the trade deadline, so we’ll see if reinforcements will be available to play that day.

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Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Oilersnation, FlamesNation, and Blue Jays Nation. Follow her on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

Source: https://oilersnation.com/news/five-...ottawa-senators-5-4-recap-reaction-highlights

 

[Edmonton Oilers]

‘Do they look at doing something with Darnell Nurse?’: Marek says Oilers could be the team to watch at NHL trade deadline

Daily Faceoff’s Jeff Marek believes the Edmonton Oilers could be the team to watch at the trade deadline and openly wondered about Darnell Nurse’s status.

The NHL’s trade deadline is Friday, and there’s been action across the league already. The Oilers have made one move, acquiring Connor Murphy from the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday for a 2028 second-round pick. The Blackhawks retained half of his salary, dropping the cap hit to $2.2 million.

But is that just the beginning?

Marek referenced a tweet from agent and general manager Brian Lawton, along with other chatter around the league, that the Oilers could be looking to make a big swing.

Lawton was asked on X whether he thought the Oilers would be busy. His tweet said, “I think Murphy is the calm before the storm for the Edmonton Oilers.”

I think Murphy is the calm before the storm for @EdmontonOilers

— Brian Lawton (@brianlawton9) March 3, 2026

Marek wonders whether they’re the team that does something big, especially as Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are in the prime of their career.

“I’m really getting warmer to the idea that the team we all might be talking about by the time the deadline rolls around on Friday are the Edmonton Oilers. Maybe it’s that blockbuster that no one sees coming,” said Marek.

“This isn’t a report. This is just like conversation leading up to the deadline on a Tuesday. They make the move for Murphy yesterday. Do they look at doing something with Darnell Nurse now? Would that be a bomb enough for Friday? Oh, yeah, it would. Could that be the next shoe to drop here, because the closer this thing gets to Friday, a lot of people talking about Edmonton doing something significant here.”

@dailyfaceoff

Jeff Marek is starting to warm up to the idea that Edmonton could be gearing up for a BIG move before the deadline. JeffMarek EdmontonOilers Oilers Nurse DarnellNurse TradeRumors Trade TradeDeadline Rundown DailyFaceoff DFO

♬ original sound – DailyFaceoff – DailyFaceoff

Whatever moves the Oilers make, they have to do salary cap gymnastics to make it happen. Andrew Mangiapane’s contract is a must to move at a $3.6 million cap hit.

Darnell Nurse is in the fourth year of an eight-year, $9.25 million average annual salary, with a full no-move clause. It is extremely unlikely he is traded because he would have to waive his no-move, nevermind the weight of his cap hit.

Nurse’s name was in the rumour mill last summer, finding himself on Daily Faceoff’s trade board, while reports suggesting the Oilers approached him to waive his no-movement clause, but he ultimately declined. In November, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman speculated about whether the noise of his struggles have “gotten to” Nurse.

It is silly season, though, and the Nation Network will be live throughout Friday with all the Trade Deadline coverage.

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Michael Menzies is an Oilersnation columnist and has been the play-by-play voice of the Bonnyville Pontiacs in the AJHL since 2019. With seven years news experience as the Editor-at-Large of Lakeland Connect in Bonnyville, he also collects vinyl, books, and stomach issues.

---

PRESENTED BY THE DAILY FACEOFF TRADE DEADLINE SPECIAL​

The 2026 Trade Deadline Special is going LIVE March 6th. Join the Daily Faceoff crew on Friday, March 6th from 9 AM-1:30 PM MT for wall-to-wall coverage of every single move as it happens. Get instant reaction, expert analysis, and exclusive insights from special guests throughout the day. Tune in LIVE on the Daily Faceoff YouTube channel and don’t miss a second of deadline day chaos.

Source: https://oilersnation.com/news/jeff-...eam-to-watch-nhl-trade-deadline-darnell-nurse

 

[Edmonton Oilers]

Sticker shock aside, Oilers’ acquisition of Dickinson furthers commitment to improving team defence

The stories write themselves right now.

The Edmonton Oilers can’t play defence. Well, they can, but they just don’t seem to be choosing to do so.

Talk of improving from within has been nothing short of exhausting. Oilers players don’t seem to have answers, and the coaching staff can try to change up the lines — or even who’s behind the bench itself — but nothing seems to be working.

Enter Stan Bowman.

Just two days after picking up defensive defenceman Connor Murphy from the Chicago Blackhawks, whose game emulates that of his father, Gord, Bowman was back on the ringer with Kyle Davidson. This time, it was to bring in a nearly ideal third-line centre, Jason Dickinson, and a young player in Colton Dach.

The cost didn’t appear cheap. They moved out a disgruntled asset in Andrew Mangiapane, and a top-12 protected first-round pick in 2027 to make the deal and the money work. Fan reaction has been swift, with many expressing sticker shock at the trade.

Understandably, many still clutch onto the concept of first-round picks being worth their weight in gold, but the reality is that the acquisition cost is more than fair. For one, the Oilers were believed to need to attach some kind of an asset to get out from Mangiapane, whose contract has a year left on it, whether that be a player or a draft pick. Then there needed to be value for the Blackhawks to use their final retention slot two days out from the deadline to eat 50 per cent of Dickinson’s contract, which expires at the end of this season.

According to PuckPedia’s cap relief calculator, the cost of Chicago taking on the remaining money on Mangiapane’s deal is equivalent to the 35th overall selection in the draft. If all goes according to plan, Edmonton’s pick will be very late in the first round, so Edmonton did more than well on that front.

Then there’s the players.

Dickinson is considered one of the best shutdown centres in the NHL, spending the majority of his ice time in matchup roles going up against opposing teams’ elite talent, something the Oilers haven’t had in some time. According to hockeystats.com, he provides defensive Wins Above Replacement (WAR) at the 11th-best rate of any centre in the league this season, and over the last four years in aggregate, at the eighth-best rate. Hockey Viz, meanwhile, has his defensive contributions operating at a 20 per cent rate higher than a league-average player.

No Oilers centre has provided as much defensive value in a single season as Dickinson since Derek Ryan in 2022-23, and on a per-hour basis, there hasn’t been another centre beyond Ryan in the analytics era (beginning in 2007-08) to be as strong defensively as he has been this season.

The long and short of it is this: Dickinson is as good as they come defensively, and is of a mold that the Oilers simply haven’t had in a very, very long time.

And his acquisition is going to open up plenty of options for Kris Knoblauch and his coaching staff.

No door may open more than for Dickinson to be utilized against opponents’ top lines. Easiest done at home, that is going to create the opportunity for lines centred by Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl to spend less of their time going up against top competition, something both have done at high rates this season. Dickinson’s ability to kill penalties could limit McDavid’s short-handed ice time, too, which he’s done at the second-highest rate per game played of his career.

Scoring goals is Edmonton’s strength, something they’ll be able to continue to do, but Dickinson’s acquisition wasn’t about further pushes for offence. It’s about boosting their play in their own zone, and Edmonton just got the kind of player they’ve been searching for for years.

Lord knows they need it.

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Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s managing editor, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the Daily Faceoff DFS Hockey Report. He can be followed on X at @zjlaing, or reached by email at [email protected].

---

PRESENTED BY THE DAILY FACEOFF TRADE DEADLINE SPECIAL​

The 2026 Trade Deadline Special is going LIVE March 6th. Join the Daily Faceoff crew on Friday, March 6th from 9 AM-1:30 PM MT for wall-to-wall coverage of every single move as it happens. Get instant reaction, expert analysis, and exclusive insights from special guests throughout the day. Tune in LIVE on the Daily Faceoff YouTube channel and don’t miss a second of deadline day chaos.

Source: https://oilersnation.com/news/stick...n-furthers-committment-improving-team-defence

 

[Edmonton Oilers]

Meet the Sellers: It’s a firesale for the Calgary Flames

Unsurprisingly, the Calgary Flames are bad once again.

Last season, they nearly squeaked into a playoff spot, finishing tied with the St. Louis Blues on points (96), but ultimately finishing outside a postseason berth due to the tiebreaker of regulation wins.

Whatever magic they had in 2024-25 is now gone, as the team has bottomed out and will be obvious sellers heading into the deadline. In Daily Faceoff’s latest trade board, they listed five Flames who could be traded, but it appears as if MacKenzie Weegar may be traded to the Utah Mammoth.

In this edition of Meet the Sellers, we’ll look at the other four Flames players who Daily Faceoff listed on that trade board. We’ll also identify the Edmonton Oilers’ needs.

Identifying the Oilers’ needs​

As has been the case throughout this series, any move that the Oilers make before the trade deadline requires money to be moved out. They placed Mattias Janmark on long-term injured reserve and waived Andrew Mangiapane before the Murphy trade, and they’ll need to trade Mangiapane before their next move.

The Oilers have had no issues scoring since the Olympic break, scoring 22 goals in four games. On the other hand, they’ve allowed quite a handful of goals, 16 to be exact. In three of the four games, the opposing team has scored four or more goals.

Goal prevention is a big need for them at the trade deadline, and they’ve already taken a step to improve that, trading a 2028 second round pick to the Chicago Blackhawks for Connor Murphy (with 50% retention). Next up, they need a third line centre who is defensively sound, and could use some more scoring in the middle six, because why not.

Goaltending remains an issue for the Oilers, but it’s hopefully something that can be improved with better defence in front of them. If not, that’ll be a concern for the off-season.

With that being said, let’s take a look at which Flames could be on the move before the deadline, and how well they fit the Oilers.

Blake Coleman​

Of anyone on this list, Blake Coleman is probably the best fit for the Oilers. Listed as an obvious trade candidate according to Daily Faceoff, the 34-year-old won two Stanley Cups with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2019-20 and 2020-21, and is two seasons removed from a 30-goal, 54 point season.

Coleman, a winger, regressed in 2024-25, scoring just 15 goals and 39 points, but he has 13 goals and 22 points in 48 games this season, which is on pace for 22 goals over an 82-game pace, which would be tied for his second-best goal scoring season.

The Plano, Texas native is in the penultimate year of his deal and has a cap hit of $4.9 million with a 10-team trade list. Moreover, the Flames only have one retention spot left, as they’re retention of Rasmus Andersson and Jacob Markström isn’t finished until the end of the season. With 50% retention, it’s possible for the Oilers to acquire Coleman.

Nazem Kadri​

The Flames’ other notable forward is Nazem Kadri, who is also listed as an obvious trade candidate by Daily Faceoff. It’s far more unlikely that the Oilers land him for a multitude of reasons.

For starters, Kadri is still seen as a top six centre, whereas the Oilers need a third-line centre. Obviously, having Kadri as a 3C means a team is deep down the middle, but Kadri has just 12 goals in 60 games this season, along with 41 points. He’s coming off a season where he scored a career-best 35 goals, and at 35 years old, this could be the start of a decline.

The bigger reason a trade for Kadri wouldn’t work out is because the Oilers simply don’t have the cap space for it. Kadri has a cap hit of $7 million and 13-team no-trade list, and is under contract until the end of the 2028-29 season. Right now, it just seems improbable that the Oilers can absorb a cap hit like that, and not much of a reason to do it for a 35 year-old.

Kadri has been connected to a handful of teams ahead of the March 6th trade deadline, including the Dallas Stars, Colorado Avalanche, Carolina Hurricanes, and Minnesota Wild.

Ryan Lomberg​

Another forward considered an obvious trade candidate is Ryan Lomberg. A part of the Panthers’ team that won the Stanley Cup in 2023-24, Lomberg has four goals and nine points in 52 games this season, up from his three goals in 2024-25. A fourth line who creates energy, Lomberg is never afraid to stick up for teammates and has scored double-digit goals in a season before, back in 2022-23.

That said, Lomberg doesn’t really fit a need for the Oilers and he has a cap hit of $2 million until the end of the season. There are better options for this role, and the Oilers are better focused looking for a middle six winger or third-line centre.

Zach Whitecloud​

The lone defenceman in this edition of Meet the Sellers, barring whatever happens with MacKenzie Weegar, Zach Whitecloud is considered a name to keep an eye on by Daily Faceoff. He was acquired by the Flames earlier this season, as they sent Rasmus Andersson to the Vegas Golden Knights for a 2027 first, a 2028 second (that can become the 2028 first if the Golden Knights win the Stanley Cup this season), and defence prospect Abram Wiebe.

Before the Connor Murphy trade, Whitecloud seemed a fit to fill the second-pairing role, but the Oilers don’t need that anymore. Even then, he’s better suited on the third pairing, which is where he was when the Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup in 2023.

He’s a defensively sound defender on a rather cheap contract, earning $2.75 million until the end of the 2027-28 season. It doesn’t seem likely that the Flames will trade him yet, but he could be someone who is flipped in the next two seasons.

Trade deadline preview series​

• Meet the Sellers: The St. Louis Blues have plenty of players to move
• Trade deadline target: Bobby McMann
• Meet the Sellers: Vincent Trocheck is the New York Rangers’ best trade chip
• Trade deadline target: Boone Jenner
• Meet the Sellers: The bottom falls out for the Vancouver Canucks
• Trade deadline target: Rasmus Ristolainen
• Meet the Sellers: With playoffs unlikely, Maple Leafs could be big players
• Trade deadline target: Brayden Schenn
• Meet the Sellers: The Chicago Blackhawks struggle to remain afloat
• Trade deadline target: Ryan Hartman
• Meet the Sellers: The New Jersey Devils are bad again
• Trade deadline target: Ryan O’Reilly
• Trade deadline target: Kiefer Sherwood
• Meet the Sellers: Florida Panthers could be open for business

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Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Oilersnation, FlamesNation, and Blue Jays Nation. Follow her on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

---

PRESENTED BY THE DAILY FACEOFF TRADE DEADLINE SPECIAL​

The 2026 Trade Deadline Special is going LIVE March 6th. Join the Daily Faceoff crew on Friday, March 6th from 9 AM-1:30 PM MT for wall-to-wall coverage of every single move as it happens. Get instant reaction, expert analysis, and exclusive insights from special guests throughout the day. Tune in LIVE on the Daily Faceoff YouTube channel and don’t miss a second of deadline day chaos.

Source: https://oilersnation.com/news/edmon...adline-preview-rumours-sellers-calgary-flames

 

[Edmonton Oilers]

Real Life Podcast: The Oilers’ trade deadline, life hacks, and the Nation HQ snack controversy

Thursday afternoon means a fresh episode of Real Life was recorded and edited, and it’s ready to help you wrap up the week. On today’s podcast, the guys discussed their beefs of the week, life hacks, the NHL Trade deadline, Oilers moves, the Nation HQ snack controversy, and more.

The guys kicked off the Thursday episode of Real Life with a new order of operations: they started the podcast with their beefs of the week instead of wrapping up the show. Wanye started the segment with a drive-thru complaint after his breakfast order was missing both the egg and milk he was looking for. Jay followed up with a beef of the week of his own after he got told off in traffic for simply occupying his space.

Changing gears, the conversation turned to life hacks the fellas have amassed over the years, and how Wanye has a new parking hack at Rogers Place that he refuses to share. Somehow, talking about parking led to a discussion about the snacks at Nation HQ and how a few staffers are being accused of overindulging in the office fridge. As you’ll hear, the mission for the boys is to start capturing the greed red-handed and find a way to turn it into content.

Finally, the guys wrapped up the podcast with the Thursday episode of Real Life with a run of topics, starting with the Nation Vacation to Vegas, the Oilers making moves ahead of the trade deadline, what they could potentially do before the buzzer, NHL insiders calling trades before they’re done, and whatever other random stories and items they could come up with to fill the time.

Listen to the Thursday episode of Real Life below:

Subscribe to the Real Life Podcast for FREE on Spotify here, on Apple Podcasts here, on YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Source: https://oilersnation.com/news/real-...ne-life-hacks-the-nation-hq-snack-controversy

 

[Edmonton Oilers]

Oilers Game Notes: Reinforcements arrive as Edmonton hosts Hurricanes

A few hours after the 1:00 PM MT trade deadline passes on Friday, the Edmonton Oilers will throw their new additions straight into the deep end when the Eastern Conference-leading Carolina Hurricanes visit Rogers Place.

1. The Oilers made two trades earlier this week, both with the Blackhawks. First, they acquired defenceman Connor Murphy, then they added forwards Jason Dickinson and Colton Dach in a second deal. Heading to Chicago was Andrew Mangiapane, along with Edmonton’s 2027 first-round pick (top-12 protected), and a 2028 second-round pick.

Though some fans might have hoped for a bigger name or another goaltender, these additions make the Oilers a stronger club defensively, one that’s better positioned to play in tight playoff games. Edmonton ranks 26th in the league in goals against, and their penalty kill is below league average at 76.7 percent.

The Blackhawks don’t do many things well, but they can kill penalties. Chicago currently has the league’s top penalty kill percentage at 85.9 percent, so Stan Bowman reached out to his former club for some help. Both Murphy and Dickinson were among the players most heavily used by head coach Jeff Blashill on the penalty kill, and they’ll surely be used in that role with the Oilers as well.

Penalty killing often becomes more important in the playoffs when games tighten up and offence is harder to find. Good or bad special teams play can swing a series, as we’ve seen in recent years.

2. Murphy practiced in Edmonton with his new teammates on Thursday and lined up alongside Jake Walman. Mattias Ekholm was back in a familiar spot with Evan Bouchard, while Darnell Nurse skated beside Ty Emberson.

Both Nurse and Walman have played with a variety of different partners this season, including the latter spending time on his opposite side. Adding a right-handed veteran in Murphy gives the Oilers a solid and responsible option to play with either of those two defenders on their natural left side.

Over his past three seasons in Chicago, Murphy’s most common partner was Alex Vlasic, a 6-foot-6 defender who skates well and plays a shutdown game with reach and physicality.

3. The Hurricanes had a much calmer trade deadline this year than they did last season. In January of 2025, Carolina acquired Mikko Rantanen in a three-team deal that sent Martin Necas, Jack Drury, and a pair of draft picks to Colorado. After just 13 games, the pending unrestricted free agent made it clear he wouldn’t re-sign, so Carolina flipped him to Dallas for Logan Stankoven and a handful of picks.

With Friday afternoon’s deadline approaching, the Eastern Conference-leading Hurricanes appear comfortable heading into the playoffs with the group that they have. Carolina is 39-16-6 on the season, and the team ranks fifth in the league in both goals for and goals against.

4. The Hurricanes have a balanced offence with four lines that can score. The top line of Seth Jarvis, Sebastian Aho, and Andrei Svechnikov are the team’s top three scorers and they’ve combined for 71 of Carolina’s 210 goals. Middle-six forwards Nik Ehlers, Jordan Staal, Taylor Hall, Jackson Blake, Jordan Martinook, and Stankoven have produced 83 goals, while Eric Robinson and William Carrier have chipped in 17 goals from the fourth line.

5. The Canes have used three different goalies this season. The most consistent of the group has been Brandon Bussi, a 27-year-old rookie who Carolina grabbed off waivers from the Florida Panthers back in October. The undrafted Western Michigan University product spent four years in the minor-league system of the Boston Bruins and has a .903 save percentage in 29 games in his first NHL showing.

Veteran Frederik Andersen has struggled this season, posting a .874 save percentage over 24 games for the Hurricanes. The 36-year-old has been limited to 62 starts over the past three seasons because of injury. A hip injury has also kept Pyotr Kochetkov on the shelf for all but nine games this year.

6. Several teams around the Oilers bulked up ahead of the stretch drive. The biggest move in the Pacific Division came Friday morning when the Ducks acquired John Carlson from the Washington Capitals. Anaheim is pushing to end a seven-year playoff drought, and the former Stanley Cup champion brings experience and puck-moving ability to a young team on the rise.

The Big Three in the Central Division all got better ahead of the deadline. After adding former Oiler Brett Kulak in February, the Colorado Avalanche added some more forward depth, picking up Nicolas Roy from the Maple Leafs. The Stars acquired shutdown defender Tyler Myers from Vancouver and winger Michael Bunting from the Predators, while Minnesota added depth with Bobby Brink, Nick Foligno, Vinnie Hinostroza, and Jeff Petry.

There’s still some time left to make moves, but it seems the Oilers are finished with their heavy lifting. Friday’s game against the Hurricanes offers the first opportunity to see if Edmonton’s reinforcements can help plug the holes that have been bogging the team down for most of the year.

Source: https://oilersnation.com/news/edmon...lina-hurricanes-trade-deadline-reinforcements

 

[Edmonton Oilers]

Oilers outplayed by Hurricanes in 6-3 loss as up-and-down stretch continues: Recap, Reaction and Highlights

The trade deadline didn’t light a fire under the Edmonton Oilers.

On Friday evening, the Oilers hosted the Carolina Hurricanes for a rematch of the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals. The Hurricanes throttled the Oilers, outshooting them 32-16 and outscoring them 6-3. Let’s take a look at what went on in this one.

Zach Hyman took a hooking penalty eight minutes into the game, and the new-look Oilers penalty kill was able to kill it off. On his following shift, Hyman was sprung for a breakaway by Connor McDavid, going bar down on the backhand to give the Oilers a 1-0 lead midway through the first period.

ZACH HYMAN MAKES IT 1-0

– @Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/HuLXalpLt5

— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) March 7, 2026

That lead lasted shorter than the goal announcement, as the Hurricanes fired back 37 seconds later. Seth Jarvis passed it back to the point to Shayne Gostisbehere. As he blasted it, Tristan Jarry got tangled with a net-front Jake Walman, falling over and giving the Hurricanes’ defenceman the wide-open net.

Shayne Gostisbehere ties it.

– @Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/1w8UEKI9Dq

— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) March 7, 2026

With eight minutes left in the first, the Hurricanes grabbed their first lead of the game. Nikolaj Ehlers’ shot from the point deflected off something in front of the net and past Jarry to make it 2-1. The Hurricanes took the 2-1 lead into the intermission, as the Oilers’ power play late in the first looked lethargic.

Hurricanes take the lead.

– @Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/UtG0KJ6zT0

— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) March 7, 2026

Early in the second period, the Hurricanes went up 3-1 early in the second period. Ehlers made a nice behind-the-back pass behind the net to Jordan Martinook, who was wide open. Jarry made the initial save, but the rebound squeaked by him.

Hurricanes extend their lead to 3-1

– @Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/TMZjDOPvZr

— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) March 7, 2026

The Oilers had an answer less than two minutes later. Kasperi Kapanen missed his rush chance, but got in with a heavy forecheck to force a turnover. Vasily Podkolzin picked it up and found a little gap between Frederik Andersen’s shoulder and the post to bring the Oilers to within one.

Podkolzin cuts the lead to 3-2

– @Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/9gF6KEXNEI

— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) March 7, 2026

Six minutes into the third period, Jake Walman took a penalty, but the Oilers were never able to touch the puck. The Hurricanes played keep-away for a while, and with an exhausted Oiler unit on the ice, Jackson Blake ripped it past Jarry to give the Hurricanes a 4-2 lead.

Jackson Blake makes it 4-2

– @Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/A09e67paHn

— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) March 7, 2026

The Oilers showed signs of life with eight minutes left in the game. Midway through a power play, they cut the Hurricanes’ lead to one once again. Leon Draisaitl got the zone entry, and Hyman was left alone in the slot, one-timing it past the Hurricanes’ netminder.

Hyman with his 2nd of the night! cuts the lead to 4-3

– @Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/zMc1xMOEqp

— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) March 7, 2026

Unfortunately, there was no late comeback for the Oilers in this one, as they failed to establish any zone time with the empty net. Eventually, Jordan Staal iced the game with the empty-net goal. To make matters worse, they scored another one (with Jarry in the net) with just 30 seconds remaining.

Takeaways…​

The Oilers actually had a good start to the game. They began with the Dickinson line, laying the body a couple of times. Zach Hyman had a bad penalty, but made up for it with his 26th of the year. Midway through the third, he scored his second of the game. Since Nov. 29, Hyman has 27 goals and 41 points in 38 games. He’s been great.

To the shock of no one, Tristan Jarry had another rough game. He saved 26 of 31 shots for a .839 save percentage. Since the trade, he’s played 13 games and has a .900 save percentage or better in just one full game, and it was a .900 save percentage to be exact. It didn’t help that the Oilers were doubled up in shots.

It would be wonderful if the Oilers didn’t immediately load up Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl when they go down in a game. Not because the pair don’t work, they tend to dominate play, but because the scoring threat of the other lines are minimal. It also runs up their ice time, as McDavid finished with 23:32 of ice time and Draisaitl finished with 21:27 of ice time.

Jason Dickinson played alongside Kasperi Kapanen and Vasily Podkolzin, and that line managed to score a goal during five-on-five action. Podkolzin’s goal early in the second period was his 14th of the season, matching his career-best from his rookie season. He’s on pace for 18 goals and 37 points this season, career highs in both categories. What a great pickup.

Hopefully, Colton Dach has a similar trajectory to Podkolzin. He and Trent Frederic were on the ice for three goals against, but I liked their first shift quite a bit. Frederic seemed more interested in hitting and get involved with extracurriculars, which is when he’s at his best.

Dach and Frederic’s centre, Adam Henrique, blocked a shot in the first period, went down the tunnel, and did not return. Not a good sign, hopefully it’s nothing serious. If it is, Josh Samanski will probably be back on a plane to fill the 4C spot.

With the addition of Dickinson and Connor Murphy, the Oilers penalty kill went 3-for-3, but allowed a six-on-five goal for the Hurricanes’ fourth goal of the game. The Oilers’ penalty kill in the 2024 postseason is a big reason they made it to the Stanley Cup Finals.

The Oilers are hitting the road to begin a tough road trip, facing the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday, the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday, the Dallas Stars on Thursday, and the St. Louis Blues on Friday. Up first is a rematch of last year’s second round, as the Oilers play the Golden Knights at 7:30 p.m. MT.

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Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Oilersnation, FlamesNation, and Blue Jays Nation. Follow her on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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Source: https://oilersnation.com/news/oiler...retch-continues-recap-reaction-and-highlights

 

[Edmonton Oilers]

Oilers Thoughts: McDavid and Draisaitl haven’t been ‘nuclear’ at 5-on-5, first impressions of Dickinson, Walman’s struggles, and more

The Edmonton Oilers added key defensive pieces to their roster before the trade deadline to lower their goals against, but in the first game since retooling the lineup, they once again had a tough time keeping the puck out of their net in a 6-3 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.

There’s no other way to put it — the pressure is on the Oilers to start winning games. They’re now only three points above the playoff cut line, and it doesn’t get any easier with upcoming matchups against the Vegas Golden Knights, Colorado Avalanche, and Dallas Stars.

That said, in this edition of Oilers Thoughts, we discuss the drop in impact from Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl together at five-on-five, early impressions of Jason Dickinson, the goaltending situation, Zach Hyman’s hot streak, and Jake Walman’s struggles.

Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl haven’t been “nuclear” at 5-on-5 lately​

After the last game against the Carolina Hurricanes, Jason Gregor mentioned to head coach Kris Knoblauch that McDavid and Draisaitl together at five-on-five are only +1 and actually have better numbers when playing on different lines. He asked Knoblauch about his thought process for putting them together and why that duo hasn’t had the “nuclear” factor as much as in the past, and the head coach responded by saying:

“I’m not sure. You’re hoping that it’s going to break at some point. Obviously, they spend a lot of time in the offensive zone.” He added, “They spend a lot of time in the offensive zone, you don’t get anything, and then they have to counter and defend, maybe tired. Maybe that’s why they haven’t been scoring as much as they typically have. And I think probably the biggest downtrend would be, just obviously, not scoring as often as they used to.”

I’m glad Gregor brought that up to the coach, because when all else fails, loading up the top line with McDavid and Draisaitl is Knoblauch’s number one go-to. But the fact is, the dynamic duo haven’t been lights out like they used to be. According to Natural Stat Trick, they’ve scored 18 goals together at five-on-five while allowing 16. In trying to figure out why that pairing hasn’t been “nuclear,” perhaps Knoblauch is onto something — with them getting offensive zone time but not scoring, other teams take advantage on the counterattack, combined with the opposition scouting their plays and keeping them in check.

I understand that at some point, you hope the dam breaks and the floodgates open, but for whatever reason, loading up with McDavid and Draisaitl just hasn’t had the impact it used to. That doesn’t mean they can’t be impactful together in the future at five-on-five, but it just isn’t happening right now.

Now, if the Oilers wanted to mix things up to generate more offence at five-on-five, the player they should try on the first line with McDavid is Vasily Podkolzin, who has the best goals-for percentage with McDavid at five-on-five, scoring 8-3 for a 72.73 per cent GF% this season. Zach Hyman has the second-highest at 56.25 per cent GF%, so a top line of Podkolzin – McDavid – Hyman could be worth trying again.

First Impressions of Jason Dickinson​

The Oilers made a splash before the trade deadline, first acquiring Connor Murphy for a second-round pick, and then trading for Jason Dickinson and Colton Dach, sending Andrew Mangiapane the other way along with a conditional first-round draft pick.

I feel that, especially with Murphy and Dickinson, they’re excellent pieces to add to the Oilers’ roster to limit goals against. Although it didn’t pay off immediately last game, I believe it will in the long run, and I wanted to highlight Dickinson’s first game in particular.

The centreman played 12:43 in total against Carolina, and his line with Podkolzin and Kasperi Kapanen scored a goal. They created three scoring chances while allowing three, on a night when they were the Oilers’ most effective line.

Jason Dickinson will be pivoting the third line in his Oilers debut. Podkolzin & Kapanen on the wings. #Oilers pic.twitter.com/OCr825CbRk

— Tony Brar (@TonyBrarOTV) March 7, 2026

Dickinson went 3-2 in the faceoff circle on the penalty kill, had a shorthanded scoring chance, and used his good reach on the penalty kill. At one point during the game, he also made a fabulous block, sacrificing his body to get in front of a point shot. Some players only make it look like they’re going to get in the way to block a shot, but Dickinson did it with full intention.

Moreover, the Georgetown, Ont., native said before the game against the Hurricanes, “My favourite thing about doing what I do is seeing the frustration and the will to win come out of guys during the game,” which is exactly the kind of thing you want to hear from a defensive specialist.

That said, for someone so defensively minded, one thing I noticed last game was that he had nice hands on the rush. The Hurricanes were preventing Oilers’ entries all game, but Dickinson had some smooth entries, making a couple of nice moves near the offensive blue line to get past defenders.

It’s very early, but Dickinson showed some promising plays after just one game.

Neither Jarry nor Ingram has claimed the starting role so far​

Before play resumed after the Olympic break, I touched on how the Oilers should handle the goaltending situation and who should get most of the minutes down the stretch. I mentioned that whichever goaltender is winning, you stick with them. If neither is winning, you go with whichever goaltender is playing the best.

Having said that, for both Jarry and Ingram, you can summarize their play coming out of the Olympic break as almost identical: “Well, the team in front of them didn’t play great, the goaltender made some big saves, also let in some saveable ones, and still gave up more than four goals,” with Ingram allowing four or more goals in his last two starts and Jarry allowing five or more goals in his last two. It’s the same story we’ve been seeing — the Oilers haven’t played well in front of their goaltenders, but the man between the pipes still has to make some big stops.

tristan jarry has the demeanour of somebody playing in a 10:30 pm beer league game on the opposite side of the city pic.twitter.com/2AatUulLQY

— zach (@zjlaing) March 7, 2026

As for who gets the next start against the Vegas Golden Knights, despite neither of them playing lights out, I feel you go with Ingram, who has banked more points in the win column for his team as of late, with Jarry’s last win coming on Jan. 26 against the Anaheim Ducks.

That said, the starting role is up for the taking, and for the sake of the Oilers and their fans, can one of Ingram or Jarry please step up and claim it?

Hyman has been one of the hottest scorers in the NHL over the past four months​

In a season filled with ups and downs for the Oilers, Zach Hyman has been one of the few steady positives.

The 33-year-old scored two goals last game against the Hurricanes, opening the scoring by burying a wonderful backhand on a breakaway. He has also been a reliable offensive threat in the five games since the break, with seven points in that span (five goals, two assists). He’s also tilted the ice in the Oilers’ favour at five-on-five, posting a 26-12 edge in high-danger chances.

ZACH HYMAN MAKES IT 1-0

– @Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/HuLXalpLt5

— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) March 7, 2026

He was injured last playoffs, missed several games to start this season, and needed some time to adjust to game speed, yet he still has 27 goals in 44 games, which puts him on pace for 50 goals over a full season. On top of that, Hyman hasn’t just been one of the Oilers’ best scorers — he’s also been one of the most consistent scorers in the NHL. Since Nov. 29, over a span of 38 games, his 27 goals lead the entire league.

On that note, I think it’s still within the window to say, before this thought fades and before I fully get over it, but boy, Team Canada really could’ve used one of the NHL’s hottest scorers this season at the Olympics, couldn’t they?

The Oilers need Jake Walman to step up​

Over the last five games, Jake Walman has been on for 11 goals against at five-on-five, the most on the team, and simply put, he’s struggling.

Diving deeper, in the last game against the Hurricanes, he was on the ice for three goals against. On the first goal against, he had a failed clear and got tied up with his netminder, Jarry. Then, with the Oilers down a goal in the third, Walman had a series of defensive breakdowns — including poor positioning and even dropping his stick — which led to the fourth goal.

In the game prior against the Ottawa Senators, he was -2 in 11:18 minutes and didn’t see the ice in the third period. While he reportedly tweaked something, not playing in the third was mostly due to being benched for poor play.

His play is nowhere near the standard he set in last year’s playoffs, when he was a shot-blocking machine, made good transition passes, and was a pillar on the back end — the kind of performance that earned him the seven-year contract worth $7 million a season that kicks in for the 2026-27 campaign. Lately, he’s had a lot of mental errors, giveaways, and a lack of attention to detail on the defensive side of the game.

For much of the season, he’s played on the right side despite being a left-handed shot, which I feel has contributed to his lacklustre play at times. However, last game he was paired with defensive stalwart Connor Murphy and played on his natural left side. While they were on the ice for a couple of goals against, there were still some encouraging moments defensively. Fingers crossed they can build more chemistry down the stretch.

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Source: https://oilersnation.com/news/edmon...ns-jason-dickinson-jake-walmans-struggle-more

 

[Edmonton Oilers]

How the experts graded the Oilers 2026 NHL trade deadline

Pencils down, general managers. The teams you have now assembled will be the ones you’re married to for the rest of the season.

For Edmonton Oilers general manager Stan Bowman, his work was all completed in the days leading up to the trade deadline, making two separate trades with the Chicago Blackhawks: one to acquire Connor Murphy, and another to nab Jason Dickinson and Colton Dach.

The reaction in Oil Country has been mixed, with fans liking the acquisition of Murphy for a 2028 second-round pick, but questioning if giving up a top-12 protected first-round pick and Andrew Mangiapane for Dickinson and Dach was worth it.

And with the dust settled on all the deadline deals, let’s see how the experts graded the Oilers trade deadline.

Daily Faceoff — Trade deadline winners​

Hey, before you judge: look around the league. Landing Jason Dickinson and Connor Murphy may not feel sexy, but the Oilers addressed their top roster needs in acquiring them: third-line center, right-shot defenseman and not one but two members of the NHL’s top-ranked penalty kill coming over to help an ailing penalty kill. It was no use chasing a goaltender if his name wasn’t Sergei Bobrovsky, so the Oilers fared well, especially when we consider how few playoff contenders really moved the needle with their trades this week. – Matt Larkin

The Athletic — B​

Oilers general manager Stan Bowman faced a challenging trade deadline this week. The club needed a right-handed defenseman who could help on the penalty kill and punish opposition forwards; an upgrade for the third line, a trio that has performed poorly all year; and a rugged forward who could intimidate and disrupt opposition defenders with heavy hits. Bowman got all three and did it under the cap. The price was dear (two early draft picks), but all the “needs” boxes got a check. There were no home runs at the deadline for Edmonton, but the solutions are bona fide bets. — Allan Mitchell, a.k.a. Lowetide

The Athletic — Connor Murphy — A-​

Find yourself something to love as much as Stan Bowman loves reacquiring his former players.

But while the Edmonton general manager’s lack of imagination became something of a punchline during his tenure in Chicago, it’s hard to argue with this move. Murphy is a perfect fit for the Oilers, who are desperately trying to make another run at the Stanley Cup Final during the brief show-me window Connor McDavid has given them… – Mark Lazerus

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Wow, is the first time Bowman re-acquiring a former player actually makes sense for more than just nostalgia purposes?

On paper, Murphy looks like a solid fit for the Oilers. He doesn’t bring a ton of puck skills or offensive ability to Edmonton and, at 32, he probably isn’t going to reinvent his game. But he can be counted on to be a stabilizing force on the back end. And that is exactly what this team needs, considering how precarious its goaltending situation is. – Shayna Goldman

ESPN — Dickinson, Dach acquisitions — A-​

From signing a two-year deal worth $3.6 million annually to being waived months later and being traded days after being waived. This chaotic description of Andrew Mangiapane’s 2025-26 campaign further reinforces why Oilers general manager Stan Bowman needed to find answers before the trade deadline….

That’s what made the need to find an alternative on a cheaper contract rather important. It appears that the Oilers have done that with Dickinson and Dach…

Dickinson gives the Oilers someone they can use as their third-line center behind Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. He also provides the Oilers with one more forward who can be used down the middle or on the wing. It’s a group that also includes Trent Frederic, Adam Henrique and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. – ESPN

Bleacher Report — Dickinson, Dach acquisition — B+​

The Oilers addressed their need for a reliable third-line center while removing a burdensome contract. They also acquired young winger Colton Dach in the deal, who is still trying to establish himself as an NHL forward. He saw mostly checking-line duty in Chicago.

Dickinson is eligible for unrestricted free-agent status in July. He is an underrated two-way center who is a strong penalty killer with a decent scoring touch. Chicago also agreed to retain half of his $4.3 million cap hit. Meanwhile, the Oilers cleared the remainder of Andrew Mangiapane’s contract from their books.

Mangiapane has another year left on his contract and has declined as a scoring winger. However, the real prize for Chicago was getting the Oilers’ first-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft. It is Top-12 protected, but if the Oilers remain a playoff team next season, that pick will belong to Chicago. – Lyle Richardson

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Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s managing editor, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the Daily Faceoff DFS Hockey Report. He can be followed on X at @zjlaing, or reached by email at [email protected].

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Source: https://oilersnation.com/news/edmonton-oilers-2026-trade-deadline-grades

 

[Edmonton Oilers]

GDB 64.0: Oilers roll into Vegas for a crucual divisional matchup (7:30pm MT, SNW)

The Edmonton Oilers roll into Las Vegas on Sunday for Game 64 of the season, and there’s no point pretending this one doesn’t matter. Friday’s 6–3 loss to Carolina was another frustrating reminder that this team still hasn’t figured out how to play hockey the right way, and with the calendar pushing deeper into March, the runway to fix these problems is getting shorter. The good news? Today is a new day. The Oilers roll into this divisional matchup against a Golden Knights team that’s spinning its wheels just as badly. Both clubs have gone 4-6-0 over their last 10 games, both are trying to find traction, and both would love to be on the right side of this four-point swing game.

Looking at the numbers, the matchup is about as close as it gets. Edmonton has the slight edge on the offensive side, scoring 3.54 goals per game compared to Vegas’ 3.29, and the Oilers’ power play continues to be a nuclear deterrent at 33.1 percent. But as we’ve all learned way too many times this season, the tricky part for the Oilers isn’t the scoring. It’s keeping the puck out of their own net. Edmonton is allowing 3.43 goals per game and carrying a team save percentage of .886 at 5v5, which means that even on nights when the offence shows up, there’s always a chance that the rug gets pulled. Vegas isn’t exactly a defensive fortress either, but they’ve been slightly more dialled in at 3.19 goals against per game, while also boasting a stronger penalty kill at 81.3 percent.

At five-on-five, the numbers suggest that this thing could be a coin flip or simply go to the team that makes the fewest mistakes. Both teams sit just over 50 percent in Corsi, both hover around the same PDO range, and both generate chances at a similar rate at even strength. In other words, this is exactly the kind of divisional game where small details make the difference. One missed assignment, one bad change, one odd-man rush, and suddenly the whole night flips. Against a veteran team like Vegas that’s perfectly happy to wait for mistakes, the Oilers need to get their details clean or they will get punished for poor execution. And execution, as always, is really what this game comes down to for the Oilers.

The frustrating part is that we know the boys can score. With 223 goals already on the season and a power play that can wreck a game in a hurry, offence is rarely the issue. What this team hasn’t consistently shown is the ability to tighten things up when the puck turns the other way. The Oilers are a mess in their own end, and I’d be pressed to find many folks who think things are getting better. The Pacific Division is so bad that the Oilers still have a chance to catch and win the division. If the Oilers want any chance of making that happen down the stretch, there’s no room for complacency. No chaos, no yard sale, no floating dumpster fire, just smart hockey and an understanding that divisional points are gold this time of year.

There are still more than enough games left on the schedule to make some noise, but the margin for error is shrinking by the day. The Oilers have a pile of divisional matchups coming down the stretch, and if they want to shake off a rough first 3/4 of the season and start climbing the standings, it has to start with banking points in games exactly like this one. Sunday night in Vegas won’t decide the season. But if the Oilers are serious about actually climbing the mountain in front of them, this is the kind of game that can start a run. Yet, as we’ve seen all season long, the hard part is proving they can do it.

Let’s see what the numbers say…

THE NUMBERS​

OILERS	GOLDEN KNIGHTS
RECORD	30-25-8	29-20-14
WIN/LOSS STREAK	L1	L1
LAST 10 GAMES	4-6-0	4-6-0
GOALS FOR	223	207
GOALS AGAINST	216	201
POWER PLAY%	33.1	26.1
PENALTY KILL%	77.1	81.3
GOALS FOR/GAME	3.54	3.29
GOALS AGAINST/GAME	3.43	3.19
AVG. SHOTS/FOR	29.9	28.6
AVG. SHOTS/AGAINST	27.1	24.9
TEAM SAVE%	.886	.884
CORSI FOR%	50.53	51.01
PDO	0.979	0.981
TEAM SHOOTING%	9.23	9.65
EXPECTED GOALS FOR%	51.41	52.55

Numbers courtesy of Natural Stat Trick (Sv%, CF%, PDO, Shooting%, xGF% all at 5×5)

You can watch the game on Sportsnet starting at 7:30 pm MST or listen on the radio like your dad did over on 880 CHED.

LINEUPS…​

Oilers​

Nugent-Hopkins – McDavid – Hyman
Podkolzin – Draisaitl – Roslovic
Savoie – Dickinson – Kapanen
Dach – Henrique – Frederic

Stastney – Bouchard
Walman – Murphy
Nurse – Emberson

Ingram

The reality is that it doesn’t matter at all what the Oilers’ line combinations look like if they execute as poorly as they did against Carolina. I know Vegas isn’t exactly lighting the world on fire either, but they still have plenty of firepower that can ruin your night if the boys play as loose and sloppy as they did on Friday. It’s honestly insane that we’re still having these conversations ahead of Game 64 of the regular season, but here we are, teetering on opportunity and disaster at the same time. Either the Oilers can pull themselves out of this tailspin, or their season is destined for a crash landing.

According to Bob Stauffer, Mattias Ekholm was not on the ice for the morning skate, which is obviously not ideal. It also looks like Connor Ingram gets the start, as Kris Knoblauch looks for either goalie to lock down the starter’s job.

Golden Knights​

Barbashev – Eichel – Bowman
Smith – Marner – Dorofeyev
Saad – Hertl – Kolesar
Smith – Dowd – Sissons

McNabb – Theodore
Hanifin – Korczak
Lauzon – Andersson

Hill

I can’t even enjoy that the Golden Knights are also in their own mini-tailspin. We should be allowed to sit back and enjoy their struggles, but instead, we’re so focused on what’s happening in our own backyard that we don’t have the capacity to enjoy the train wreck on the other side of the fence. Either way, Vegas shouldn’t be taken lightly just because they’re also 4-6-0 in their last 10 games. It would be wise for Edmonton to lock in those details because the Golden Knights have some fantastic players that will absolutely extend our losing streak if given the opportunity.

TONIGHT…​

GDB Edmonton Oilers Draisaitl, Nugent-Hopkins, Bouchard, Hyman photoshop by Tom Kostiuk

Game Day Prediction: It’s been a while, and I feel it in my plums. 4-2 Oilers.

Obvious Game Day Prediction: We get no fewer than 5 mentions of the Olympic bromance between Connor McDavid and Macklin Celebrini. They followed each other on Instagram. It’s a whole thing.

Not-So-Obvious Game Day Prediction: No one will see goals from Ty Emberson in consecutive games coming. You will know because I know. I am channelling my inner Gregor-witch demons.

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Source: https://oilersnation.com/news/game-...-a-crucual-divisional-matchup-730pm-sportsnet