Edmonton Oilers
Oilers Pitched to Go All-In on Trade for Kraken Star Forward
The Oilers have been pitched to trade for this Kraken star forward—so should they do it?
The Edmonton Oilers are well past their early-season funk, now in full stride, looking like a legitimate threat to reach a third consecutive Stanley Cup Final. That has everything to do with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl somehow playing as well as we’ve ever seen; so it’s incumbent on general manager Stan Bowman to continue to help his two superstars by pushing his chips in ahead of the trade deadline.
Upgrading in goal by acquiring Tristan Jarry—injury aside—checked one box, but now it’s time to address other areas of the roster. Several names across different positions have recently been linked to the Oilers, with the latest among them now being Kraken forward Jared McCann.
Seattle’s strong start has faded in a big way, which could force the club into selling in the coming months. As a result, Jesse Courville-Lynch of The Hockey Writers has proposed an enormous, but purely speculative deal that would send McCann to Edmonton for a package of four assets.
“Realistically, a trade looks like the Oilers acquiring McCann at 50% retained in exchange for Beau Akey, Max Berezkin, their 2027 first-round pick, and a future second-round pick,”
McCann is in the fourth season of the five-year, $25.5 million extension he signed with the Kraken back in 2025. The 29-year-old has been limited to just 11 games so far in 2025-26, though has been productive when available with eight points (five goals, three assists) in that time.
Is Jared McCann Worth the Cost For the Oilers?
A top-six forward has long been viewed as a need for Edmonton, and McCann would fit that to a tee; however, that need may not be as pressing as it once was.
McDavid, Zach Hyman, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins have been unstoppable on the top line, while Draisaitl and Vasily Podkolzin have built nice chemistry on the second unit, with Jack Roslovic now back from injury alongside them.
Could the Oilers upgrade on one of Draisaitl’s current wingers? Absolutely. But given the projected cost to acquire McCann—assuming the proposed package would even be enough—it could make more sense to allocate those assets toward multiple moves aimed at strengthening the team’s depth.
It’s important to note that there is no sense this is a deal either side is remotely looking at and Courville-Lynch makes a lacklustre (if not non-existent) attempt to make the math work. It’s a pitch suggestion rife with what-ifs.
That’s not to say the idea isn’t intriguing, though. If Bowman scours the market and determines that adding a higher-end player like McCann provides more overall value than several lower-end additions, then it’s a price worth paying.
Next: Penguins Insider Suggests Dubas Could Soon Strike on Erik Karlsson Trade
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