The Edmonton Oilers made their first notable addition of the week when they acquired defenseman Connor Murphy from the Chicago Blackhawks. The veteran defenseman should now serve as a solid bottom-pairing defenseman for the Oilers and give their right side a bit of a boost in the process.
However, with the Oilers clearly having more spots on their roster that need improvement, it would not be surprising in the slightest if they looked to make more moves. This is especially so when noting that the Oilers have been struggling lately, as they have lost five out of their last six games.
With this, there is no question that the Oilers are certainly a team to keep a very close eye on between now and the deadline. With the Oilers in win-now mode and not having the strongest of seasons, they could get creative to bolster their roster ahead of the playoffs.
Because of this, the Oilers are now being predicted to move their best prospect ahead of the 2026 NHL trade deadline for immediate help.
Oilers Predicted to Trade Top Prospect Forward Matthew Savoie
The Athletic recently published an article looking at one bold prediction for each NHL team leading up to the 2026 NHL trade deadline. Multiple of their writers participated in the piece.
When it came to the Oilers, Allan Mitchell of The Athletic predicted that the Oilers would trade top prospect Matthew Savoie to land a player who would help them immediately as they aim to win the Stanley Cup.
“Oilers general manager Stan Bowman doesn’t have a massive number of valuable trade pieces at this year’s deadline. If the goal is a major addition to the roster, the ask will be painful. Bowman will attempt to make a deal with the 2027 first-round selection, but Savoie is the one young player with enough value to secure a top-flight acquisition at the deadline. The target could be a bigger winger, a right-handed defenseman or a No. 3 center,” Mitchell wrote.
If the Oilers want to make a big move, Savoie is certainly a prospect who could help their chances of doing just that. The 2022 ninth-overall pick has the potential to blossom into an impactful top-six forward in the future, so it is likely that many rebuilding clubs would love to add him to their roster.
Savoie has also shown promise this season as a rookie with the Oilers. In 61 games this season with the Pacific Division club, he has recorded 10 goals, 14 assists, 24 points, and a plus-1 rating. With numbers like these, he is showing that he can already produce solid secondary offensive production at the NHL level.
Oilers Trading Savoie Would Come With Big Risk
There is no question that the Oilers could use another forward in their middle six leading up to the deadline, and using a trade chip like Savoie could help them land just that. While this is the case, trading Savoie would also come with some serious risk.
At just 22 years old, Savoie still has plenty of time to become a better player at the NHL level. He was a top 10 pick during his draft year for a reason, and he has already had some early success in Edmonton. Thus, the possibility of him hitting a new level is undoubtedly there, and the Oilers need to think carefully before potentially dealing him.
Oilers Predicted to Trade Top Prospect Ahead of Deadline