Edmonton Oilers considering multiple trade options, player movements, NHL insider says

This in from NHL insider Frank Seravalli, talking with Bob Stauffer on Oilers now, news that the Edmonton Oilers are considering multiple player movements, including possible trades around three veteran players, Troy Stecher, Ty Emberson and Mattias Janmark.

This all comes to a head as Janmark, d-man Alec Regula and Zach Hyman are getting close to returning to Edmonton Oilers roster, forcing roster moves from the team. Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said both Hyman and Janmark are about a week away from playing.

Seravalli ruled out the team waiving either Regula or forward Noah Philp, as he said both would be picked up on waivers by another NHL team if they were sent down.

Stauffer said there’s zero chance Oilers GM would put Regula on waivers.

Added Seravalli: “Alec Regula has earned himself a spot in the Top 6 (on defence). In fact, I think the Oilers believe he can improve the Top 6 with his puck moving ability… He’s not going to be the odd man-out. Up front, Noah Philp would be claimed (on waivers) as well, and I think that’s the last thing (the Oilers) want to do. I think they’ve got a couple different options. I’ll be curious to see: Has Mattias Janmark run his useful (hockey) life in Edmonton? Is he a guy the Oilers would consider moving because he might be one of the easier ways to clear up salary cap space.”

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman noted this past weekend it could be Stecher, 31, on the move but Seravalli wondered if Emberson and/or Janmark might make more sense, in part due to salary cap considerations.

Said Seravalli: “I think in the end Emberson is a slightly better player (than Stecher). I think the world of Troy Stecher. I think he’s the league’s perfect 6/7 (d-man). But he’s professional, he’s low maintenance or no maintenance. He does the job without any fanfare and he costs a lot less than Emberson on the cap. To me, that’s part of the equation, or at least it should be… I think Emberson would have value for teams out there that are looking for a player. Look at Carolina and the injuries (on defence) that they’ve got.”

My take

1. First, lets look at the cap hit issues in a bit more detail, because it could well be the deciding factor for any two players of similar ability.

Emberson, 25, has two more years on a deal that pays him $1.3 million per year this year and next.

Janmark, who will be 33 in December, has two more years on a deal that pays him $1.45 million per year this year and next.

Stecher, 31, is in the last year of a deal that pays him $787,500 this year, while Regula, 25, has a two year deal that pays him $775,000 this year and next year.

Philp, 27, is on a one-year deal that pays him $775,000.

Essentially, keeping lower paid players like Philp, Stecher and Regula over higher paid players like Janmark and Emberson puts Edmonton in a better cap position to make a deal for a top player at the 2026 trading deadline, a major consideration for the Oilers this year.

2. When it comes to performance this year, I’d rank a healthy Regula over Emberson, and Emberson over Stecher. I’d also rank Philp over the Mattias Janmark we saw last season. Janmark’s performance in 2024-25 was down considerably from the high mark he’d set in the 2024 playoffs.

3. Do Janmark or Emberson have trade value? They might well. Emberson has been playing solid hockey for the past two weeks and did so for long stretches last year as well. He’s a decent bottom pairing NHL d-man at this point, with a bit more offence than Stecher and the same kind of reliable defensive play. Regula, if healthy, has far more potential than either Emberson or Stecher, given his size, reach and fine puck-moving.