With NHL training camps just around the corner, I thought it was a good time to look into the future of the Edmonton Oilers. I asked Perplexity AI three main questions to establish what the Oilers could look like in five years:

Who will make up the Oilers’ core based on their current roster and prospects?

Which current Oilers will no longer be in the organization?

What are three major trades Stan Bowman will make over the next few years?

Let’s take a look at the answers!

Who makes up the Oilers’ core in 2029–30

The AI sees the Oilers’ core consisting of current franchise cornerstones, younger established players, and some top prospects within the organization. Well, I think any of us could have guessed that much. But let’s break it down further.

Current superstars and established young players

The AI specified Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Evan Bouchard, Darnell Nurse, and Mattias Ekholm as current Oilers who likely make up the team’s core in five years. Bowman, of course, has some work to do to get McDavid inked past the 2025–26 season. Nurse and Draisaitl are locked down until 2030 and 2033, respectively. So, barring a trade, injury, or retirement, both should still be part of the team in their mid-30s.

Ekholm is another story. He’ll be 40 years old by the end of the 2029–30 season. He may be considered part of the core right now, but if he’s still playing by that time, it’s unlikely he’s part of the core. It’s more plausible that his minutes decline as he approaches 40. I could still see him being a valuable contributor, though. It’s also worth noting that he’s coming off his highest average ice time since 2021–22.

Bouchard will be turning 30 early in the 2029–30 season and should still be a premier offensive defenceman in the NHL. The only problem is that his current contract is up after the 2028–29 season. If he’s still expected to be part of the core after that, they’ll need to get a new deal done.

Young players who are likely to emerge

The AI identified a handful of younger players who could emerge as core players by 2029–30. And Stuart Skinner. The younger players included prospects Matthew Savoie, Beau Akey, and Maxim Beryozkin.

Let’s start with Skinner, though, because he stands out in this group. Turning 27 on November 1, he’s already an established NHL goaltender. Skinner has three seasons under his belt as the Oilers’ starting goaltender. He hasn’t been great as a starter despite helping the Oilers to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals. In fact, his own backup, Calvin Pickard, has outperformed him in each of the last two regular seasons. I think it’s more likely that the Oilers will try to replace Skinner over the next few years, especially considering he will need a new deal after this season.

Savoie was a first-round pick—ninth overall—of the Buffalo Sabres back in 2022. The Oilers acquired him by trade last July for Ryan McLeod and Tyler Tullio. In his first full professional season for the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors this year, Savoie put up 19 goals and 54 points. I agree with the AI’s prediction that he could develop into a top-six centre for the Oilers over the next few years.

Akey (20) and Beryozkin (23) have been developing well in the OHL and KHL, respectively. I could see Akey developing into a top-four, two-way defenceman. While he’s regarded for his puck-moving abilities, his production in junior hasn’t been eye-popping. He may need to refine his defensive game if he’s to become a regular in the NHL.

Beryozkin just signed a one-year extension with Lokomotiv after winning the Gagarin Cup. That means he’s at least another year away from the NHL. He’s continually improved both his goal and point totals over each KHL season, setting career highs with 15 goals and 42 points in 66 games this year. Another year of pro hockey in the KHL isn’t the worst thing for the winger.

Which current Oilers will be gone by 2029–30

I asked the AI to predict which five players are least likely to be part of the team by the 2029–30 season. The criteria to consider were their age, contract status, and place in the lineup. Its response was pretty funny for a couple of reasons, but I’ll get to that later. The players: Evander Kane, Viktor Arvidsson, Brett Kulak, Adam Henrique, and Darnell Nurse.

Well, it’s batting 0.400 off the hop. The Oilers dealt Kane to the Vancouver Canucks back in June and Arvidsson to the Boston Bruins in July. The MLB’s current batting percentage leader is Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees at 0.322. Unless the Oilers reacquire Kane or Arvidsson, neither should be part of the team by 2029–30.

The other funny one is Nurse. We just talked about him being part of the core in five years, and now we’re saying he’s likely to be gone. I can’t dispute its reasoning, though. Despite being signed through 2030, his contract is widely regarded as one of the worst in the league. As the Oilers try to retain their existing and emerging core, Nurse could become a cap casualty by trade or buyout.

Kulak turns 32 in January 2026 and is up for renewal following this season. He’s truly found a home in Edmonton, though, putting together arguably three of the best seasons of his career in the last three years. There should be interest on both sides to get a contract done going forward. I think that—provided he’s still in the NHL by 2030—there’s a pretty good chance Kulak is still an Oiler.

Henrique was a solid depth addition for the Oilers last year, winning at least 55% of his faceoffs. He’ll turn 36 in February 2026 and is also in the last year of his current contract. I could see a short-term extension, depending on how well he plays this season. But it does seem pretty likely that he’ll fall down the depth chart over the coming years and be gone before 2029.

Trades Stan Bowman could make over the next few years

To predict the trades the Oilers would make, I asked the AI to examine Bowman’s moves as general manager so far and the types of players he has targeted. It reasoned that he focuses on keeping championship windows open by “balancing star retention with roster depth and cap management.”

It further explained that he has made analytics-based signings and targeted contracts that optimize cap flexibility over blockbuster trades. He has “targeted two-way forwards and inexpensive veterans to stabilize depth without sacrificing future assets.” That’s a pretty sound analysis.

Based on Bowman’s pattern of trading declining veterans and targeting young, undervalued players, these are the three trades he’s most likely to make:

Bowman’s three most likely trades

First and foremost will be getting out from under Nurse’s contract to free up cap space for core extensions. The AI sees him being dealt either to a team that’s in need of veteran defence, or as at least a partial cap dump. This somewhat reminds me of the Carolina Hurricanes acquiring a 37-year-old Brent Burns from the San Jose Sharks back in 2022. They had a young-ish defence core centred around 28-year-olds Jaccob Slavin, Brady Skjei, and Brett Pesce at the time.

Next, Bowman will go out and acquire a young—age 23-to-26—top-four defenceman. He made similar moves with the Chicago Blackhawks when he acquired Nick Leddy and Trevor van Riemsdyk. Well, if you’re trading one out, it makes sense to bring one in, but who could it be? Maybe Zayne Parekh from the Calgary Flames?

Lastly, he’ll be on the lookout for a cost-controlled middle-six forward with two-way upside in the 25-to-27 age range, similar to his acquisitions of Brandon Saad and Artem Anisimov in Chicago. Let’s ignore that he initially traded Saad for Anisimov, then dealt Artemi Panarin to bring Saad back. I could see Mavrik Bourque of the Dallas Stars being that player a couple of years down the line.

I can’t say there’s much to dispute here. Depending on how the salary cap looks and what the Oilers have to pay their existing and emerging core, I can see Nurse’s contract becoming an anchor. The Oilers have managed it well so far, but they have a lot of contracts expiring this season. It will be interesting to see what their cap structure looks like a year from today.

A brief look at the Oilers’ core in five years

The Oilers’ core up front should still revolve around McDavid and Draisaitl, with Savoie and Beryozkin emerging from the pipeline. They’ll replace the veteran Henrique with a younger two-way forward—Bourque?

On defence, Bouchard will be the number one, and Nurse may or may not still be here. Ekholm will still be a key contributor on the blue line despite being 40 years old. Also, Kulak moves on, but Akey emerges as a top-four defenceman. And finally, Bowman acquires another young top-four defenceman. By my count, should Nurse still be around, they’ll have five core top-four blueliners. Bouchard, Nurse, Ekholm, Akey, and an unnamed trade acquisition.

Skinner still projects to be the guy manning the pipes. He’ll really have to convince the brass this year that he deserves it, though.

Is this an Oilers core you can still get behind? Let us know in the comments!

Like this:

Like Loading…