The Edmonton Oilers will be looking to add scoring depth this offseason. With a scant free-agent market, The Oil may have little choice but to turn to the trade market to figure out solutions.
And that trade market could yield exactly what the Oilers need: Philadelphia Flyers forward Owen Tippett.
The idea of Tippett going to Edmonton is one that has gained traction over the last couple of weeks. Insiders like Jeff Marek have floated the idea that Edmonton could make a push for the 27-year-old.
Most recently, another insider, David Pagnotta, has also gone with the idea. In a recent appearance on Daily Faceoff, Pagnotta tossed around the idea of Tippett being exactly what the Oilers need.
“That’s the caliber and the type of winger that they’re looking at.”
Tippett nearly topped 30 goals last season, scoring 28 and totaling 51 points in 81 games. Those numbers look fantastic for an Edmonton club that struggled to score beyond the usual suspects.
However, Pagnotta cautioned about Tippett’s health. The former first-round pick from the 2017 NHL Draft missed some time in the postseason with internal bleeding issues, among other injuries.
As such, the Oilers would have to be wary that the issues have been resolved. If he does get a full, clean bill of health, he would be the sort of piece that could complement Connor McDavid very well.
Oilers Would Have to Pay Up to Get Tippett
Pagnotta drilled down on the opportunity cost to land Tippett. That opportunity cost may result in multiple draft picks and/or prospects. Unfortunately, the Oilers just don’t have very many of those.
The Oilers don’t have a first-round pick until 2028. And as for prospects, Isaac Howard and Matt Savoie stand out. But would they be enough to convince the Flyers to move on from Tippett?
Perhaps Quinn Hutson or Beau Akey might be complementary pieces that could grease the wheels. But they may not be enough to get Flyers’ GM Daniel Briere seriously thinking.
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Edmonton Stuck in Really Tight Spot
Given the lack of overall trade capital, the Oilers are in a really tight spot. There are clear needs across the board. However, they just can’t spend their way out of the situation. Even though PuckPedia projects the Oilers have $14.5 million in cap space, they’ll need to figure out their depth.
Veterans like Adam Henrique, Jason Dickinson, Kasperi Kapanen, and Jack Roslovic will all likely hit the market as UFAs in the forward group. Meanwhile, Connor Murphy stands out as the only UFA blueliner in question.
With that many holes to fill, the Oilers’ apparent cap space could evaporate in seconds. That’s why the lack of capital, plus potential issues to fit Tippett’s $6.2 million cap hit next season, could make such a trade virtually impossible to pull off.
Does that mean that the Oilers are hopeless? Not necessarily. But they will have a heck of a time figuring out what to do this summer. The best thing they could hope for is someone getting desperate enough to the point where they have no choice but to move a player like Tippett at a discounted rate.
Good luck with that.
Oilers Could Find What They Need in Flyers Forward, Insider