What Would It Cost the Oilers to Acquire Jamie Oleksiak?

When fully healthy and at their best, the Edmonton Oilers don’t have many weaknesses. With goaltending now shored up by Tristan Jarry and Connor Ingram, the focus has shifted to improving depth both up front and on the back end.

As is always the case, plenty of potential targets have been floated in recent weeks as the trade deadline approaches, and one name that continues to surface is Jamie Oleksiak.

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Despite the Kraken sitting in a playoff position, the expectation remains that they could move the 6’7”, 252-pound defenseman as a rental. Because of that, Rob Ellis of NHL Trade Rumors recently broke down what it could cost the Oilers to acquire Oleksiak.

Ellis wrote:

“If the Oilers want Seattle to retain 50% of Oleksiak’s salary (bringing the hit down to $2.3 million), the cost will be premium. Because Edmonton has already moved their 2026 first-round pick, the conversation starts with a conditional 2027 first-round pick. Seattle would effectively be buying a first-rounder by eating that cap space, a price Bowman might have to pay to keep his current roster intact.”

He adds:

“If the Oilers opt to take on the full $4.6 million hit, the draft capital required drops significantly, likely to a 2027 second-round pick or even a third-rounder plus a sweetener. However, this scenario is painful for the roster. To make the money work, Edmonton would almost certainly have to ship out a roster player like Andrew Mangiapane to remain compliant.”

The 33-year-old Oleksiak has eight points (three goals, five assists) and has a +7 rating in 47 games this season. He’s a pending UFA in the fifth and final year of the five-year, $23 million contract he signed to join the Kraken in free agency of 2021.

Does Either Scenario Make Sense for the Oilers?

Looking at the proposed packages to land Oleksiak, the second option seems more realistic for Edmonton, though even that might not be ideal.

Option one is just too steep a price to pay for a team that is already without its 2026 first-round pick, even with salary retention. If the Oilers are going to trade another future first-rounder, it should be for a true difference-maker, and while Oleksiak is solid, it’s hard to argue he’s worth that cost.

A second- or third-round pick is much more plausible, though, taking on his full $4.6 million salary could limit GM Stan Bowman’s flexibility to make other moves, even if Andrew Mangiapane’s $3.6 million comes off the books in the process.

For those reasons, Oleksiak might not make sense for Edmonton right now. They would be better off to either spend big — a first-round pick or more — on a true impact player, or to target multiple cheaper pieces to address several areas of the roster without breaking the bank.

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