Oilers Eyeing Veteran Defenseman To Make Up For Lost Players

The Edmonton Oilers are actively exploring options to bolster their defense corps following the departures of Philip Broberg and Cody Ceci via offer sheet and trade, according to different reports from Oilers insiders Bob Stauffer and Dustin Nielson.

Oilers' color commentator Stauffer appeared on "What Chaos!" podcast on August 21 and reported the franchise might be considering bringing in another puck-moving defenseman, likely a right-shot, to fill the void left by Broberg and Ceci.

"It would not surprise me if [the Oilers] are having an internal discussion on whether or not they need to add one more potential puck mover - and likely a right shot if they do (I don't know if they're going to act on it or not)," Stauffer said, via OilerAlert on X.

Meanwhile, TSN 1260's Dustin Nielson reported that Edmonton has already had discussions with former Oiler Tyson Barrie, who could be a candidate for a PTO on a tryout basis for the upcoming training camp.

"Oilers are keeping all their options open on PTOs but they’ve already had conversations with Tyson Barrie," Nielson wrote on X. "They love him in the room, is he a fit on the ice with the way the blueline is currently built?"

Barrie, who had a disappointing stint with the Nashville Predators last season, could be a potential fit for Edmonton given his familiarity with the team and his offensive capabilities.

The veteran blueliner, already 33 years old, has scored 505 points through 809 regular-season games to go with 21 points in 47 playoff games spanning seven postseasons.

The Oilers lost Broberg to an unexpected offer-sheeted submitted by the St. Louis Blues, a contract that Edmonton chose not to match. Shortly after that, Ceci was traded to the San Jose Sharks, leaving the right side of the Oilers' defense looking shallow.

With just under $1 million in cap space remaining, according to PuckPedia , the Oilers don't have much cap room to operate for the remainder of the season, whether or not they want to bolster their roster.

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