Creating a shopping list for the Oilers ahead of the NHL trade deadline.

Yesterday, we looked back at the first two-thirds of the Oilers' season.

Today, we're looking into the future, down the final stretch and beyond into the playoffs. The Oilers are a great team in a great position, but they're not perfect. With the playoff field as wide open as it's been in years, just a few additions could put them over the top.

General Manager Stan Bowman provided us with some idea of what he'll do at the trade deadline when he talked to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun last week. According to that interview, the Oilers are targeting an extra left-shot defenceman and a depth forward.

Bowman also poured cold water on the rumours that they're kicking the tires on Anaheim Ducks goalie John Gibson, though those rumours are still flying. My colleague wrote today that the Oilers should be all-in on Gibson, though it would come with significant risk.

With all that in mind, let's take a look at a few players who fit those descriptions, as well as a few wild cards in case the Oilers decide to jump into the deep end of the trade market.

Depth Forwards

The Oilers are flush with wingers, especially now that Jeff Skinner has played his way back into the top six. Though their bottom six has been solid all year, especially on the wings, there's an air of sameness to a lot of those players, and their bottom-six centres have been middling. An ideal depth forward brings defence and physicality to the bottom of the Oilers' lineup, preferably along with an ability to play centre.

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At the top of the list, then, should be Boston's Trent Frederic. The 26-year-old centre is on a cheap, expiring deal, and would bring plenty of size and physicality, plus a little scoring, to Edmonton. In the same vein on the wings are Boston's Justin Brazeau and Buffalo's Jordan Greenway, two huge power forwards who love to hit and make life difficult for opposing defenders.

The Oilers should also be one of many teams in on Montreal's Jake Evans and Joel Armia. Evans is a smart two-way centre who can play on the third or fourth lines and would provide Edmonton with a much-needed right-handed faceoff man. Armia is a veteran fourth-liner with speed and playoff experience. Both fast and tenacious checkers and penalty killers, Evans and Armia are both Kris Knoblauch players through and through.

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Left-Shot Defencemen

The Oilers are thrilled with their top three lefties, Mattias Ekholm, Darnell Nurse, and Brett Kulak, but the depth chart behind them is very thin. With the middling early returns on John Klingberg, there's also a chance that Kulak continues to slide up next to Nurse, leaving a left-handed hole on the third pair next to Ty Emberson.

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The ideal addition would be Vancouver's Carson Soucy. A native of Irma, Alberta, Soucy is a 6'5" old-school shutdown defender who's been pushed out by the Canucks' recent additions on the blueline. With a $3.5 million AAV and another season after this one, Soucy would solidify the Oilers' defence for more than just this year.

Also available are San Jose's Mario Ferraro, another 2026 UFA who could flourish in easier minutes away from the tanking Sharks, and Anaheim's Brian Dumoulin, a two-time Stanley Cup champion who can still hold down the fort on a third pair.

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Big Swings

Depth guys are great and all, but this is a Stanley Cup contender we're talking about. Let's have some fun and go all in.

If the Boston Bruins are really thinking about trading Brad Marchand, the Oilers have to be first in line. Still the game's pre-eminent pest and a high-end playmaker, forechecker, and clutch scorer, Marchand would be the perfect fit next to Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl.

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If not Marchand, how about the Islanders' Brock Nelson? If the Isles can't extend the big scorer, he'll be a hot commodity at the deadline. Just a year removed from three consecutive 30-goal seasons, Nelson brings size, versatility, and scoring to both the centre and left-wing positions.

Finally, there's Anaheim's John Gibson. The 31-year-old netminder is enjoying his first good season in years, but would only waive his no-trade clause to be a number one starter again. Can the Oilers promise that? Should they? They'll have to decide soon, because Gibson is just about the only goalie left on the market.

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