The Edmonton Oilers are expected to have a tough time acquiring a new star forward. General manager Stan Bowman has been linked with several wingers throughout the offseason. After all, the Oilers likely need another scorer to help out superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl to become a true Stanley Cup contender.
Despite the summer links, Bowman has not been able to bring in a top-six forward. This comes as Edmonton’s 2026-27 preseason is set to start in just four days. The Athletic’s Allan Mitchell, however, believes that Bowman and the Oilers will eventually strike a deal at some point. The beat writer even believes that the club could use Isaac Howard as trade bait.
While this could work, Mitchell’s colleague, Janson Duench, does not think Howard will be a big enough piece to help land a star such as Columbus Blue Jackets forward Kirill Marchenko or Philadelphia Flyers winger Owen Tippett. The writer recently discussed potential trade offers involving the Edmonton Oilers acquiring either forward. According to Duench, Bowman likely does not have enough quality assets to grab Marchenko or Tippett.
“Marchenko would perfectly fill Edmonton’s need for another high-impact winger in its top six,” writes Duench. “But as with the Tippett proposal, the competition for Marchenko would be fierce. Edmonton may have the cap room, but its assets aren’t the envy of the league.”
Poor Assets Hindering Edmonton Oilers Pursuit of Kirill Marchenko, Owen Tippett
As Duench alludes to, the Edmonton Oilers do not have a highly rated prospect pool. In fact, The Athletic’s Corey Pronman recently rated the club as having the 31st-best pipeline in the NHL. The reporter named Matt Savoie as the team’s top youngster, with Howard in the fourth spot. Savoie recorded 37 points in his first full NHL season in Edmonton. He will, however, miss training camp due to injury.
On top of this, the Oilers also do not have a plethora of attractive draft picks. Due to previous deals, Bowman only has three picks inside the top two rounds over the next three years. Edmonton has just a lone second-round pick before round five of the 2027 NHL draft. The most valuable selection for the club is currently a 2028 first-round pick.
Edmonton More Likely to Acquire Adequate NHL Forward
The Edmonton Oilers may have seemingly earned a boost in the chase for Marchenko on September 12. The Montreal Canadiens were heavily linked with the Russian star all summer. However, the Canadiens opted to sign Chris Kreider to fill their need for a top-six forward. The move most likely drops Montreal out of the race for the $3.85 million AAV Marchenko.
Despite this, the Oilers are still expected to be outbid by another team. NHL insider Elliotte Friedman is reporting that the New York Islanders have also shown interest in the Blue Jackets forward. Pronman ranked the Islanders as having the ninth-best NHL pipeline, and New York has more cap space than Edmonton.
As far as the Tippett situation goes, Duench believes he is too valuable to the Flyers. The star also has control over his future due to a no-trade clause in his eight-year, $49.6 million contract. If so, Edmonton Oilers fans could have to tamp down their trade expectations. Although Bowman and Co. are expected to target a new forward, it may not be a true star player.
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