The Edmonton Oilers are great at clawing themselves out of a hole. They have done it for two consecutive seasons before the current 2025-26 season. A great way to do that is to have the proper personnel. While Leon Draisaitl, Connor McDavid, Evan Bouchard, and Jack Roslovic are great in their own right, it wouldn’t hurt if the Oilers had another player to rely on.
That makes the latest Oilers trade rumor a juicy one. Edmonton has been linked to a popular trade target in Pavel Zacha, the second-line center of the Boston Bruins.
Oilers Rumor Links Team to Pavel Zacha
A new report released earlier today reveals some details surrounding trade interest in Zacha. For starters, the Oilers have now been named as one of three teams interested in the Bruins’ centerman.
“They’re getting calls daily on those guys and more so on Zacha,” James Murphy of RG wrote on October 28. He continues his writing by quoting Elliotte Friedman about the Vancouver Canucks interest in the center, “I think it’s all the way going back to the summer, the Canucks and Bruins have been on-off about this.”
“The Calgary Flames expressed interest in Zacha in the offseason. The second source above suggested that the Edmonton Oilers could be a fit for Zacha.”
The Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames would present tough competition for the Oilers. Primarily, because the other two teams have more assets in terms of prospects and picks to secure a player of Zacha’s calibre.
Murphy goes on to explain how a player like Zacha could fit into the Oilers’ lineup.
“They could slide him in perfectly to the 3C role below Connor and Leon,” Murphy writes. “And I really think Pavel would prosper in a 3C role like that.”
Zacha, 28, has nine points in 11 games while averaging 17:59 in ice time and 61.1 percent in the faceoff dot.
Oilers GM Has Done Recent Business With Boston
Along with being a fit at third-line center for the Oilers, Murphy’s source raises a great point. Oilers GM Stan Bowman and Bruins GM Don Sweeney aren’t afraid to do business together.
“The Bruins and Oilers have already made two trades in the last year, so there’s some chemistry between Bowman and Don there,” Murphy wrote. “The Oilers acquired forward Trent Frederic in a three-way trade with the Bruins and Devils at the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline, and then traded forward Viktor Arvidsson to the Bruins on July 1.”
Trent Frederic was a player Bowman felt could help the team. He believes in him so much that he extended the player this summer to an eight-year deal. The team also needed more cap flexibility, which prompted the trade of Viktor Arvidsson to the Bruins.
Not the First Bruins’ Player Linked to the Oilers
GettyThe Boston Bruins are once again connected to the Edmonton Oilers.
Zacha is now the third player who has been linked to the Oilers in a trade.
The first two were Michael DiPietro and Fabian Lysell. DiPietro is a young goaltender who was expected to be picked up off waivers by the Oilers. However, they opted to trade for Connor Ingram from the Utah Mammoth instead.
Secondly, Lysell was linked to the Oilers in a trade rumor. The youngster brings speed and skill, but hasn’t been given a fair shake at the NHL level whenever he’s been given an opportunity.
Zacha is a much different player than DiPietro and Lysell. Zacha is a veteran center who can provide the Oilers with significant depth. Considering he’s only 28 and signed for another year at $4.75 million after this season, he is a long-term solution rather than a rental.
Either way the Oilers decide to go, nabbing a player like Zacha would be huge for the hockey club’s Stanley Cup aspirations.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Oilers Linked to Surprising New Trade Target Teams Want appeared first on Heavy Sports.