Getty
Ryan O’Reilly could be the best Trade Target for the Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers and Ryan O’Reilly could be a match made in hockey heaven.
The Oilers don’t play NHL hockey again until after the Olympic break. However, a three-game losing skid against the Minnesota Wild, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Calgary Flames has left a bitter taste in their mouth.
To help take the sting out and to help propel them up the standings, one Oilers analyst has identified O’Reilly as the best trade target for them.
Ryan O’Reilly is a ‘Perfect Fit’ For the Edmonton Oilers
While Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Josh Samanski compete for a medal at the Olympics, management is left to consider potential upgrades. Allen Mitchell of The Athletic recently wrote about one player he believes is a “perfect fit.”
“Ryan O’Reilly of the Nashville Predators is a $4.5 million cap hit who covers all the bases required for Edmonton at the third-line centre position,” Mitchell wrote on February 9, 2026. “Puck IQ tracks him facing elite competition in 45 percent of his overall minutes (a very difficult assignment) and helping Nashville play at a competitive level in those minutes.”
“Of all the names on the trade board, O’Reilly might be the best combination of perfect fit, affordable cap hit, and achievable acquisition cost for Bowman.”
O’Reilly is a 6-foot-1, 207 lb center with the Nashville Predators. In the 2025-26 season, he has 20 goals, 56 points, and a 55.3 faceoff percentage in 57 games. He has previously played for the Colorado Avalanche, Buffalo Sabres, St. Louis Blues, and the Maple Leafs before joining the Predators.
What Does Ryan O’Reilly Have to Offer?
There are a few things O’Reilly does very well: he excels in the faceoff dot and plays a stellar two-way game. In other words, he’s the perfect playoff center.
During the regular season, he has a career 55.6 faceoff percentage. But during the playoffs, he’s still a two-way force.
O’Reilly won the Stanley Cup with the Blues during the 2018-19 season. In those 26 playoff games, he collected 23 points, had a 50.1 faceoff percentage, while collecting 21 minutes of ice time per night.
Compared to other NHLers who have taken at least 800 faceoffs this season, O’Reilly ranks eighth in faceoff percentage. The only Oilers player ahead of him is Draisaitl, currently ranked fifth with a 56.4 faceoff percentage.
O’Reilly vs Elite Competition
As Mitchell mentioned above, he believes O’Reilly would be the ideal third-line center for the Oilers. He also cites his results against elite competition, which we will now look at.
According to PuckIQ, O’Reilly has played 45.1 percent of his total time on ice against elite opposition. In those minutes, he has a 50.1 Corsi For percentage (CF%) and a 45.6 Dangerous Fenwick For percentage (DFF%).
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has played the most against elite competition out of all of the Oilers forwards, with 37.8 percent. In that time, he has a 50.2 CF% and a 49.9 DFF%.
Shane Pinto, Jason Dickinson, Zemgus Girgensons, Auston Matthews, Michael Amadio, Pontus Holmberg, J.T Miller, Adam Lowry, and Warren Foegele have all played a higher percentage of ice time against elites than O’Reilly. Of those nine players, only four have a higher CF%, and six have a higher DFF%.
However, only three of those other players are actually attainable through trade. Those three are Dickinson, Amadio, and Holmberg. Amadio and Holmberg both have a higher CF% and DFF% than O’Reilly. However, only Amadio is a center of those two players. On a Stanley Cup-winning team, Amadio is a perfect fourth-line center.
Are the Oilers Interested in Anyone Else?
It’s tough to find a better fit than O’Reilly for a third-line center. Aside from what he brings on the ice, he’s only making $4.5 million a season.
According to The Fourth Period’s 2026 trade board, the Oilers are also checking in on a few other players. Boone Jenner of the Columbus Blue Jackets is the only other center linked to the Oilers. Of the two, O’Reilly is the better choice.
To ice the best playoff roster, the Oilers would be hard-pressed to find a better upgrade than O’Reilly.
Caleb Kerney Caleb covers the NHL for Heavy.com. He has covered professional hockey since 2022, including bylines at Dobber Prospects, The Hockey Writers, and The Hockey News. More about Caleb Kerney
More Heavy on Oilers
Loading more stories