Five Edmonton Oilers trade targets ahead of 2025 NHL Draft
The Edmonton Oilers enter the 2o25 NHL Draft in an unusual situation. By the time general manager Stan Bowman announces the team's first scheduled draft pick, all of the remaining names will be years away from helping Edmonton try to win a championship.
There's very little chance the club's top selection (currently landing in the third round) will have any impact on the Oilers' fortunes before the end of the decade. There's even a chance none of the picks Edmonton makes at the 2025 draft will ever make an impact in the NHL.
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On the other hand, draft picks are currency, and the Oilers could turn draft weekend into an asset that might help the team immediately. Or, the club could spend picks on young NHL-ready or close players, stockpiling prospects for a pool of talent that is miserably thin.
The Oilers are in possession of three selections at the 2025 draft. They are Nos. 83, 191 and 223. Corey Pronman's mock of the entire 2025 draft at The Athletic offers some interesting names. There will be NHL talent available at pick No. 83, but that talent will have more value to a rebuilding team. Bowman would be wise to send that selection away, in a package, for immediate help.
There are 'perfect fit' solutions reportedly available, like JJ Peterka of the Buffalo Sabres. Bowman doesn't have the assets available, or the cap room on hand, in order to wheel in a trade conversation with a player of Peterka's calibre. Here are some realistic targets.
The Oilers need an infusion of youth and a player who can play with skill. Peyton Krebs is such a player, and the Sabres are in the mood to deal. Krebs can play successfully against elites (via Puck IQ), brings enough offence for a middle-six role (via Natural Stat Trick) and is on a value deal (via PuckPedia).
Krebs, 24, is a centre in Buffalo, but could easily work on the wing. If the Oilers started next season with Krebs, Trent Frederic, Vasily Podolzin and Matt Savoie as options on the wings, it would represent an upgrade in skilled youth among the forwards. Krebs brings an abundance of energy and fearlessness, and has more skill than his boxcar numbers imply.
The cost for Krebs might be Evander Kane, plus a pick might be in play if Buffalo balks at the sizeable cap difference. Kane will earn $5.125 million, Krebs just $1.45 million next season.
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The rumours surrounding the Oilers' possible acquisition of Anaheim's John Gibson go back at least two seasons. Now, with the Oilers actively searching, as per Bowman's media avail this week, and much of Gibson's contract burned off, the time might be right.
Gibson's health is a worry, but his performance last season (he delivered a .926 five-on-five save percentage in 29 games) may be too attractive to pass up for Bowman.
The cost might be veteran centre Adam Henrique and a significant draft pick. Henrique's cap ($3 million) hit is far less than Gibson's ($6.4 million), so retention may be required by the Ducks. On the other hand, injury risk and an inconsistent performance history are part of Gibson's resume, so the deal may be closer to one-for-one.
This is a trade that has a reasonable chance of happening.
Georgii Merkulov is one of several young forwards attached to NHL teams who have enjoyed AHL success. In the case of Merkulov, his skill set has range (plus passer, excellent shot) along with some worries (foot speed, willingness to go to tough areas).
The acquisition cost for Merkulov shouldn't be dear; the Bruins have played him in just 10 NHL games despite his being NHL-ready for the past three seasons. A draft pick should suffice.
Blumel is an even more successful AHL scorer (70 goals in the last two seasons) who brings terrific speed and skill to the game. He's a Group 6 free agent, meaning he'll be available to any NHL team on July 1. The Oilers might be wise to trade for him in June, sign him and increase the number of speedy wingers with plus shots in the pool of young talent available this fall.
Merkulov and Blumel are lower-end roster options. The Oilers acquiring either man wouldn't be necessary should Bowman successfully sign Oilers prospect Maxim Berezkin out of the KHL this summer.
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The idea of Thatcher Demko being traded within the division borders on farce. The Canucks doing the Oilers a favour is pure fiction.
And yet.
Acquiring Demko holds water for an Edmonton team badly in need of a goalie with the ability to steal games and play at an elite level on the way to a championship. Demko has that ability, but has never played for a team that is his equal.
From the Canucks side, Thomas Drance at The Athletic is reading the tea leaves and reports Vancouver may sign Demko and run him in tandem with Kevin Lankinen. That would leave a very expensive duo in Vancouver, but it is far more likely to happen than the redoubtable Demko heading to Alberta.
Artūrs Šilovs, whose star is rising, might be an option for a team looking for unproven help. That doesn't fit the Oilers' needs at this time.
In June 2015, Oilers fans were completing a breathless five-year run at the top of the draft. From Taylor Hall in 2010 to Connor McDavid in 2015, the annual selection of amateur talent represented the most exciting moment of the entire year in Edmonton.
Ten years later, the 2025 draft will not require a trip to the podium, and may not see the crack of a microphone by an Oilers executive.
Those who say the draft doesn't matter are wrong. However, in the case of Bowman's Oilers, the 2025 draft's importance does not involve any draft-eligible player. The picks in 2025 and 2026, and some veteran talent that the organization would like to move, may well be the headlines for Oilers fans over the next few days.
(Photo of John Gibson: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)
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