The Edmonton Oilers are in a difficult situation heading towards the trade deadline. Now that the Olympics are finished, NHL teams can officially complete deals again. Edmonton will undoubtedly look to improve its roster in the coming days. They, however, have multiple needs and do not have a ton of money to work with.
After making consecutive Stanley Cup appearances, the Oilers find themselves barely hanging on to a playoff spot at the moment. As play is set to resume, Edmonton is sixth in the Western Conference standings. Although the team remains an offensive powerhouse, they could use another quality forward behind superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
Nevertheless, it was recently revealed that Edmonton GM Stan Bowman will likely focus more on improving his defense in the trade market. The move would certainly make sense. The Oilers have struggled without the puck for practically the entire 2025-26 season. Goaltending is also an issue, but the club will likely target a top-four blueliner ahead of the deadline.
There are several options in this area for Edmonton. However, Daily Faceoff’s Anthony Di Marco is reporting that the Oilers have “checked in on” Philadelphia Flyers star Rasmus Ristolainen. According to Di Marco, the reigning Western Conference champions have yet to make a serious offer to Philly for the defenseman, but are certainly interested. Ristolainen recently collected a bronze medal at the Olympics with Finland.
Rasmus Ristolainen Would Boost the Edmonton Oilers Blue Line
GettyRasmus Ristolainen recovered from injury to feature at the 2026 Olympics with Finland.
Edmonton’s interest in the veteran blueliner is not exactly surprising. Ristolainen is typically regarded as the top right-handed defenseman on the Flyers roster. The imposing 6’4″ star also previously recorded at least 40 points in four consecutive seasons with the Buffalo Sabres. Nevertheless, injuries have hampered his time in Philadelphia. In fact, he has only played 70 games in a season just once since 2020.
So far this season, Ristolainen has only played 19 total games. He previously missed a chunk of the current campaign due to triceps surgery. The defenseman is, however, now healthy again. If acquired, the Finn would likely slot in alongside Darnell Nurse on Edmonton’s second line of defense.
The Oilers would have to get creative to afford Ristolainen, though. The veteran currently carries a $5.1 million AAV cap hit. According to PuckPedia.com, Edmonton has less than $1 million in current cap space. This is the lowest total of any NHL team. To acquire the star blueliner, the Oilers will likely have to shed Andrew Mangiapane’s contract. The forward earns $3.6 million per season.
Oilers Face Stiff Competition to Sign the Star Defenseman
Edmonton will have plenty of competition in the chase for Ristolainen. Di Marco claims that up to six NHL teams have already asked Philadelphia about Ristolainen. Along with the Oilers, the Boston Bruins are also interested in the defenseman, as are the Dallas Stars, Detroit Red Wings, and Tampa Bay Lightning.
Detroit could be Edmonton’s biggest worry in this particular scenario. The Red Wings have plenty of money and attractive assets to make a major move in the market. According to Di Marco, Philadelphia is looking for a similar return as what Boston received for Brandon Carlo last year. The fellow blueliner went to the Toronto Maple Leafs for a prospect, a first-round draft pick, and a fourth-round selection.
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