The Edmonton Oilers only have eight games remaining before the March 6 NHL Trade Deadline. There’s also a roster freeze going into effect from Feb. 4 until Feb. 22, during the 2026 Winter Olympics. That doesn’t leave much time for general managers to make deals.
Edmonton’s biggest need is an effective third-line centre, and acquiring Nashville Predators’ forward Ryan O’Reilly should be at the top of general manager Stan Bowman’s list. O’Reilly is one of the best centre options available if Nashville is willing to move him.
Related: Oilers Need a Third-Line Centre
The 34-year-old veteran is having a great season, registering 18 goals and 50 points in 51 games, and averaging 20:03 per game. He won’t get that ice time in Edmonton, so hopefully, he will be able to adapt to a new role. He’s also solid in the faceoff circle, winning 484 of 876 draws for a 55.3 faceoff percentage.
O’Reilly is a left-shot centre with one more season on his current contract with a $4.5 million cap hit, so he wouldn’t be a rental. Bowman has a history of targeting players with term, like Jake Walman at last year’s trade deadline. Since he has term, salary retention is unlikely. However, if Bowman trades Andrew Mangiapane and waives Calvin Pickard, the organization can take on his entire cap hit. If the money isn’t a problem, O’Reilly should be the Oilers’ ideal target.
Oilers Have Experimented Internally
The Oilers have experimented with different third-line centres, but nothing has worked. The season started with Adam Henrique in that spot, but he has had an abysmal season, registering just two goals and 10 points through 43 games. He’s now on long-term injured reserve (LTIR) and will be out until after the Olympic break, maybe longer. However, even if he were healthy, he’s not the solution.
The Oilers have also tried Ryan Nugent-Hopkins at that position, but head coach Kris Knoblauch prefers Nugent-Hopkins as the left-winger on the top line alongside Connor McDavid and Zach Hyman. Don’t expect that to change.
Jack Roslovic also spent some time up the middle, but he’s better as a winger. He’s more valuable along the boards, and when he’s centre, he doesn’t go down low enough to support the defencemen during the breakout. That’s not his natural position, so if you want to get the best out of him, play him where he’s comfortable.
Most recently, they’ve experimented with Josh Samanski in that role, and Knoblauch should continue playing him there until the Olympic break. The 23-year-old played his first career NHL game on Monday against the Anaheim Ducks as the third-line centre, earning a team-low 7:43 of ice time. Samanski clearly hasn’t earned the trust of the coaching staff, and the Oilers require someone who can play meaningful minutes. Therefore, it’s time to find an external solution because the internal ones haven’t worked.
Knoblauch Loves Reliable Veterans
O’Reilly is the type of player Knoblauch loves. He’s an experienced veteran who’s reliable in all situations and can be trusted in the defensive zone while taking important faceoffs. Players like Mangiapane, Jeff Skinner, and Viktor Arvidsson didn’t fit in Edmonton because they fell out of favour with the coaching staff for not being reliable defensively. That won’t be a problem for O’Reilly.
O’Reilly has spent 85:03 on the penalty kill this season, and Knoblauch loves that versatility. He has scored 13 of his 18 goals at 5-on-5, and the team desperately needs that even-strength production from the bottom six. This seems like a great landing spot for him, if Bowman can find a deal that makes sense.
Can the Oilers Win a Bidding War?
Many teams will pursue O’Reilly, especially because he doesn’t have trade protection. Cap space shouldn’t be a concern for the Oilers, but do they have the assets to make a deal? What will O’Reilly be worth in a bidding war? A first-round pick? Will he cost the team one of their better prospects, like Isaac Howard?
The Predators will be in the driver’s seat because they can trade him to the highest bidder, and if they don’t find a deal they like, he’s under contract for one more season, so there’s no rush to move him. What would you give up to acquire O’Reilly?
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