Top NHL insider sets out exact blueprint for Oilers to acquire big Top 9 forward

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This in from top NHL insider Bob Stauffer of Oilers Now, his blueprint for the Edmonton Oilers to acquire big Top 9 forward.

Essentially the plan is to move out an NHL contract now, accrue cap space during the season, then trade for that bigger forward at the 2026 trade deadline.

“I’m going to throw you a little nugget,” Stauffer said today on his show. “Some people brought up the issue of size up front. Yeah, and the Oilers signed Trent Frederic to the eight year deal. And not everybody likes the price point… It’s our belief that the Oilers are not done, that you may see between now and when we drop the puck for the first game of the regular season, a change in the lineup. Maybe see Edmonton shed a contract. I could foresee a scenario where Edmonton builds cap space. And then come the deadline, adds a bigger Top 9 forward in the mix. Just take it for what it’s worth.”

As for which contract might be moved, Stauffer said, “I think there’s one or two contracts they could move. We’ll see. People ask me about (forward Mattias) Janmark. I think Janmark’s a useful player, but you know, Henrique’s got a no movement clause, so it’s probably not happening. I just could foresee a scenario that when push comes to shove, in a perfect world, the Oilers accrued (cap space) during the season, and then add a useful top nine forward, a little bit of size.”

My take

1. I can see a market for Janmark, 32 a nine-year NHL vet. He s a useful player, a solid veteran hustler who can kill penalties, throw hits and forecheck and backchecker. As recently as the 2024 playoffs, he ripped it up, adding some offence and some extra hitting to his other attributes, thus earning a three-year deal that pays him $1.45 million per year. He’s also got a ten team no-trade clause but that leaves 21 teams with which to make a deal, and a lot of teams have ample cap space. Only twelve other teams are close to or over the cap limit.

2. Janmark’s contract is an over-pay, as he’s a fourth-liner, and he scored just two goals last year. His defensive play has also dropped over from exceptional — by far the best forward on the Oilers — to above average in the three years he’s been with the team. But he’s as fast and smart as ever and I can see him helping a young team in need of veteran leadership when it comes to the forecheck/backcheck grind.

3. Janmark might well be keen for a trade, as the Oilers have plenty of forwards with promise and he could well find himself in the pressbox if he stays in Edmonton.

4. It strikes me that the Oilers will have the capacity to make one major trade this year, moving their 2027 first round pick to bring in a top forward or a goalie, depending on what the team’s major need is at that moment.

P.S. Staples and Stauffer on Oilers Now, hotter than hell hockey talk about McDavid contract, L.A. envy of the Oil, the powerhouse Edmonton market, and Evan Bouchard’s real value.

At the Cult of Hockey

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