The Edmonton Oilers seem willing to go all-in this season, and for good reason. After falling just one win shy of a Stanley Cup last season, they are contenders on a mission this season. They sit fourth in the NHL standings with a superb 32-16-4 record and showing no signs of slowing down.
The Oilers have made some in-season moves to help improve their roster, such as claiming Kasperi Kapanen off waivers and signing John Klingberg to a one-year deal. They aren’t expected to be done yet, as they have some decent cap space available with Evander Kane on long-term injured reserve. While they may still elect to improve their blue line or goaltending, there is also talk about adding a valued top-six winger to the roster.
Bruins May Move Marchand
Though the Boston Bruins have been playing better of late, they’ve struggled most of the season. Expected to be one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference, they have a disappointing 26-22-6 record and are currently outside of the playoff picture. Because of those struggles, there is speculation that they could be sellers heading into the trade deadline.
Should they decide to sell, Brad Marchand is a name that many playoff-bound teams will be checking in on. The Bruins captain is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer and carries a very reasonable $6.125 million cap hit. Though it may be hard to envision the Oilers landing him, there are several reporters who believe it could happen.
“Acquiring Marchand at the deadline would be something close to a perfect fit for the Oilers. If he does become available, Bowman and Edmonton should be aggressive in pursuing Marchand,” Allan Mitchell recently wrote in The Athletic (from ‘Why the Oilers and Bruins make great trade partners ahead of 2025 deadline,’ The Athletic, 01/29/25).
Meanwhile, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said on a recent episode of his 32 Thoughts podcast that he thinks that not only is there a chance the Bruins become sellers, but that there is a legitimate possibility Marchand is moved, despite that the 36-year-old has a modified no-trade clause in his contract.
“If Boston takes on water, I’m really going to be curious to see where this goes,” Friedman said. “There was a time in this year, where I didn’t think there was a chance that Marchand was going to be out. And now, I think it’s not as certain, depending on what happens here.”
Though Marchand is no longer the elite point-producer he once was for the Bruins, he’s still a very good top-six option. Through 54 games this season, he’s recorded 19 goals and 42 points, both rank second on the team.
Oilers Would Need to Pay Big Price
Given Marchand’s legacy with the Bruins and that he is still a very good player, he wouldn’t come cheap. The Oilers don’t have a first-round pick in the 2025 Draft, although they have one in 2026 and 2027. The 2026 first-rounder would almost undoubtedly be on the table, and that still wouldn’t be enough to land Marchand.
One huge bargaining chip that the Oilers have is Matt Savoie. The 2022 ninth-overall pick was acquired by Edmonton in the Ryan McLeod trade with the Buffalo Sabres this offseason, and he has really started to put things together in the American Hockey League (AHL) as of late. Through 40 games in his rookie season as a 21-year-old, he has 12 goals and 31 points.
The Oilers, who lack prospects at both ends of the ice, would prefer to hold onto Savoie. But players of Marchand’s calibre don’t become available very often. His high-end skill mixed with his championship pedigree may be enough to entice the Oilers to part ways with the best prospect in their system.
