The Edmonton Oilers are on a roll and are looking like a serious contender right now. They are going to add more pieces before the trade deadline, but there seems to still be questions about whether that will come in the form of a top-six forward, top-four right-shot defenceman, or a backup goaltender. I believe the biggest need is to improve the top-four and upgrade over Cody Ceci, not only for this season, but for next season as well.
Any trade involving Ceci will get him off the books for this season and next, as he is an unrestricted free agent (UFA) in 2025. As the numbers of this pairing with Ceci and Darnell Nurse (including Corsi for percentage, Fenwick for percentage, shots for percentage, expected goals for percentage, scoring chances for percentage, and high danger chances for percentage) have been the worst out of the three pairings on the Oilers this season, this is the only change needed. Any talks of needing more depth and bringing someone in without moving someone (Ceci) out isn’t logical as the Oilers have multiple depth options in the minors right now in Philip Broberg, Ben Gleason, and Philip Kemp as top options to fill in if absolutely needed.
