Edmonton Oilers general manager Stan Bowman is likely eyeing one more trade involving a forward. The team’s top exec has already made several moves so far this summer. Nevertheless, the majority of these offseason deals were to strengthen Edmonton’s struggling defense/goaltending.
Although the Oilers revamped their defense, they still have some extra funds to work with. According to PuckPedia.com, Edmonton has nearly $5 million in projected cap space with a full roster. While Bowman can add a fairly significant contract to the books, The Athletic’s Allan Mitchell believes the team would be better served targeting a young, cheaper forward. It was previously reported that the Edmonton Oilers could target Carolina Hurricanes youngster Felix Unger Sörum.
Mitchell is now claiming that Boston Bruins center Matt Poitras is also an option for Edmonton. The former second-round pick of the 2022 draft was previously seen as a top prospect. In fact, the forward previously grabbed 95 points in 63 games with the OHL’s Guelph Storm in his first season after being selected by Boston. Despite this, Poitras has not been able to nail down a regular roster spot with the Bruins in recent years.
The Bruins were previously linked with offloading the former top prospect in March. While they held on to Poitras, he did not make a single appearance in Boston after the trade deadline. DailyFaceoff also does not have the youngster in his team’s predicted line combinations for the 2026-27 season. Because of this, the Edmonton Oilers could look to take advantage of the situation.
Matt Poitras Could be Low Risk, High Reward Move by the Edmonton Oilers
GettyMatt Poitras has failed to truly settle in with the Boston Bruins.
Although Poitras is likely on the outside looking in in Boston, he has put up solid statistics in the AHL. The forward recorded 85 points in his last 109 games with the Providence Bruins. There is clearly a quality player there. Assuming the Edmonton Oilers take a chance on Poitras, the club could use the young forward between the NHL and their AHL affiliate in 2026-27.
Edmonton still has an aging roster to deal with and could certainly use an influx of youth. The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler recently rated the Oilers prospect pool as the 30th-best in the entire league. Adding Poitras to the mix may not boost Edmonton’s prospect pool, but it would give them an additional young asset at the forward position.
It remains to be seen what Boston would want for the center. Mitchell, however, claims that the Edmonton Oilers could part ways with any combination of draft picks and fringe players. The reporter specifically included defenseman Spencer Stastney as potential trade bait. Mattias Janmark has been linked to a move out of Edmonton as well.
Edmonton is Being Patient in Search for Forward
The links between the Edmonton Oilers and Poitras may not excite fans very much. After all, the club has enough money to target a veteran forward instead of an unproven youngster. There are also several quality unrestricted free agents still out there. Nevertheless, Mitchell has hinted that the Oilers should make the “smart play” by targeting young talent such as Poitras.
Doing so would be relatively cheap and would still leave Bowman with enough funds to make a meaningful move midseason. The Oilers do not necessarily need to put all of their eggs in one basket right this second.
Oilers Linked to Landing Young Bruins Forward via Trade