We&#8217;re officially into the stretch drive now.
The trade deadline passed on Friday afternoon and many teams geared up for the playoffs by adding to their rosters. The Edmonton Oilers acquired Trent Frederic and Max Jones from the Boston Bruins and then added Jake Walman from the San Jose Sharks.
Was this a successful deadline for the Oilers? As the defending Western Conference Champions, are they still the team to beat?

<h2>Did the Oilers do enough ahead of the trade deadline?</h2>
Cam Lewis: They did a solid job of filling holes with younger players, two of whom are signed next season, and they didn&#8217;t have to give up very much. Unfortunately for the Oilers, other contending teams made some huge splashes and Edmonton&#8217;s moves seem underwhelming by comparison. The defending Stanley Cup Champions added a top-four defenceman and a future Hall of Fame winger. The Dallas Stars might be the best team in the Western Conference now with Mikko Rantanen in the mix. The Oilers improved but those two improved more.
Liam Horrobin: Yes, they addressed two needs by bringing in physicality and a top four defenceman, while also not subtracting anyone from the roster. They’ll also get Evander Kane back for the playoffs which makes them a deeper team. Of course, adding a top-six forward would’ve been great, but sometimes, making too many moves isn’t a good idea.
Tyler Yaremchuk: I give them a passing grade for sure. Maybe I would have liked one more move considering how all-in some other teams in the Western Conference went all in, but at the end of the day, they added two players who fill roles that they needed to fill. I also really like Max Jones. I know there will be a lot of talk about not getting a goalie, and understandably so, but it just doesn&#8217;t look like that trade is out there. I will say, they did the most out of all the teams in the Pacific Division and that&#8217;s a win for me.
Zach Laing: I think they did a good, not great job. I&#8217;m a fan of their pickups, as Trent Frederic and Max Jones will help the middle-six and fourth line, while Jake Walman is a solid addition. <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/03/07/edmonton-oilers-solution-inside-room-after-sluggish-trade-deadline/">As I opined Friday</a>, my concern is they may not have done <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/edmonton-oilers-solution-inside-room-after-sluggish-trade-deadline">enough</a> based on what some of the teams like Colorado and Dallas did.
Baggedmilk: I think Stan Bowman did fine, but didn&#8217;t knock it out of the park. I wish he would have been able to find a top-six forward with some scoring touch, but I do think he did a nice job of picking up Trent Frederic and Jake Walman. Those two guys should help plug a few holes, and I&#8217;m looking forward to seeing what they can do.
<h2>Which addition are you most excited about?</h2>
Cam Lewis: <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/edmonton-oilers-announce-sharks-jake-walman-first-round-pick-carl-berglund">Jake Walman</a> is a very skilled defender and it&#8217;s surprising that he&#8217;s now on his fourth NHL team since being taken in the third round of the 2014 draft. He scored 12 goals and 21 points in 63 games for the Detroit Red Wings last season and was only a minus-one logging 23:11 per game for the terrible San Jose Sharks this year. It&#8217;ll be interesting to see what he can do playing with the likes of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
Liam Horrobin: <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/oilers-expect-trent-frederic-debut-before-end-march">Trent Frederic</a> is going to be a fan favourite. He’s tough to play against and the Oilers lack his skillset. Once he gets playing, he could become one of the best deadline pickups this year.
Tyler Yaremchuk: I&#8217;m very excited about Jake Walman. If he pans out and the Oilers get a bonafide stud top-four defenceman with term for just a single first round pick, then their blueline is all of the sudden a strength and all their entire group of six defensemen is under team control for next season. This could be the group they run with for the next two playoff runs.
Zach Laing: It&#8217;s Jake Walman for me as well, but I&#8217;m really excited to see Frederic. He&#8217;s a physical forward who gets to the dirty areas, and the Oilers need a lot more of that in the mix.
Baggedmilk: I&#8217;m excited about Jake Walman. There are a lot of his underlying numbers that excite me, and seeing him play as well as he did on a horrible San Jose team makes me hopeful that he&#8217;ll be able to help here too.
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<figure id="attachment_170267" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-170267" style="width: 1024px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-170267" src="http://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/USATSI_25321800_168383996_lowres-1024x684.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="684" srcset="https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/USATSI_25321800_168383996_lowres-1024x684.jpg 1024w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/USATSI_25321800_168383996_lowres-300x200.jpg 300w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/USATSI_25321800_168383996_lowres-768x513.jpg 768w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/USATSI_25321800_168383996_lowres.jpg 1223w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-170267" class="wp-caption-text">Feb 1, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Hurricanes right wing Mikko Rantanen (96) skates against the Los Angeles Kings during the third period at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure>
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<h2>Who&#8217;s the best team in the Western Conference now?</h2>
Cam Lewis: When the Oilers are rolling, they&#8217;re still the best team in the Western Conference. The trouble is we haven&#8217;t seen them rolling since December and January. The Stars seem great on paper, but Mikko Rantanen didn&#8217;t work in Carolina with Sebastian Aho and there&#8217;s no guarantee he will in Dallas with Roope Hintz.
Liam Horrobin: It’s hard to not say the Dallas Stars. If, and it’s a big if, Viktor Arvidsson or Jeff Skinner can find their games more consistently, it could be the Oilers. With the addition of <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/dallas-stars-acquire-mikko-rantanen-carolina-hurricanes-western-conference-teams-load-up">Mikko Rantanen</a>, though, you have to respect Dallas.
Tyler Yaremchuk: I think the margin between Colorado and Dallas is razor thin. I like the stars in Colorado more, but Dallas&#8217; depth is just so strong now with both Rantanen and Granlund in the mix. If I had to pick one, I&#8217;ll say Colorado because of the star power they have.
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The Oilers are third on my list and it would be ideal to avoid those two teams before the Western Conference Final. I think the margin between Colorado and Dallas is razor thin. I like the stars in Colorado more, but Dallas&#8217; depth is just so good now with both Rantanen and Granlund in the mix. If I had to pick one, I&#8217;ll say Colorado because of the star power they have.
Zach Laing: Can I say the Oilers? They have the star power, but I think their blue line is better than both the Avalanche and Stars. That might be the difference maker.
Baggedmilk: Based on picking up Mikko Rantanen at the deadline, it&#8217;s hard not to say it&#8217;s the Dallas Stars. I want to say the Edmonton Oilers, but I&#8217;ve also been watching the games, so it pains me to say Dallas.
<h2>Who looks like the clear winner or loser of this year&#8217;s deadline?</h2>
Cam Lewis: Colorado was a winner for their in-season additions of Mackenzie Blackwood, Martin Necas, and Ryan Lindgren, among others, but Mikko Rantanen landing back in the Central Division is a tough look for the Avs. The Canucks standing in purgatory while not being able to get a contract sorted out with Brock Boeser isn&#8217;t ideal either given what the likes of <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/washington-capitals-trade-anthony-beauvillier-pittsburgh-penguins-second-round-pick-nhl-trade-deadline">Anthony Beauvillier</a> netted in return. How the Los Angeles Kings didn&#8217;t make a splash ahead of what looks like another series against Edmonton is beyond me.
Liam Horrobin: The Florida Panthers adding Seth Jones and Brad Marchand is unbelievable so they’re the winners in my eyes. Ottawa also had a sneaky good deadline adding Fabian Zetterlund and <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/senators-land-cozens-trade-division-rival-sabres">Dylan Cozens</a>. The loser is Detroit though. Do they realize you can only play one goaltender at a time?
Tyler Yaremchuk: Dallas is a major winner. Getting a signed Mikko Rantanen is amazing no matter what the price tag is. They are not just a legitimate Stanley Cup contender this year, but this move means that they are going to be in the mix for the next decade. Their window is cranked wide open.
As for losers, I got the Kings and Red Wings. Detroit is facing serious pressure to end their playoff drought and Yzerman just did nothing. It&#8217;s crazy. As for Los Angeles, I felt like they needed to add some firepower to give themselves a fighting chance in the playoffs and Rob Blake went and got Andrei Kuzmenko. Yikes.
Zach Laing: It&#8217;s got to be Dallas as the winner, right? Rantanen was the best player moved on Friday and that&#8217;s what gives them the edge. The worst might belong to either the Canucks or Flames. Neither did anything and both had some players they could move out for future pieces.
Baggedmilk: I think Vancouver was a big loser because they couldn&#8217;t trade Brock Boeser and will likely lose him for nothing. That&#8217;s a rough use of assets for a team that mediocre.
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We're officially into the stretch drive now.

The trade deadline passed on Friday afternoon and many teams geared up for the playoffs by adding to their rosters. The Edmonton Oilers acquired Trent Frederic and Max Jones from the Boston Bruins and then added Jake Walman from the San Jose Sharks.

Was this a successful deadline for the Oilers? As the defending Western Conference Champions, are they still the team to beat?


<h2>Did the Oilers do enough ahead of the trade deadline?</h2>
Cam Lewis: They did a solid job of filling holes with younger players, two of whom are signed next season, and they didn't have to give up very much. Unfortunately for the Oilers, other contending teams made some huge splashes and Edmonton's moves seem underwhelming by comparison. The defending Stanley Cup Champions added a top-four defenceman and a future Hall of Fame winger. The Dallas Stars might be the best team in the Western Conference now with Mikko Rantanen in the mix. The Oilers improved but those two improved more.

Liam Horrobin: Yes, they addressed two needs by bringing in physicality and a top four defenceman, while also not subtracting anyone from the roster. They’ll also get Evander Kane back for the playoffs which makes them a deeper team. Of course, adding a top-six forward would’ve been great, but sometimes, making too many moves isn’t a good idea.

Tyler Yaremchuk: I give them a passing grade for sure. Maybe I would have liked one more move considering how all-in some other teams in the Western Conference went all in, but at the end of the day, they added two players who fill roles that they needed to fill. I also really like Max Jones. I know there will be a lot of talk about not getting a goalie, and understandably so, but it just doesn't look like that trade is out there. I will say, they did the most out of all the teams in the Pacific Division and that's a win for me.

Zach Laing: I think they did a good, not great job. I'm a fan of their pickups, as Trent Frederic and Max Jones will help the middle-six and fourth line, while Jake Walman is a solid addition. <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/03/07/edmonton-oilers-solution-inside-room-after-sluggish-trade-deadline/">As I opined Friday</a>, my concern is they may not have done <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/edmonton-oilers-solution-inside-room-after-sluggish-trade-deadline">enough</a> based on what some of the teams like Colorado and Dallas did.

Baggedmilk: I think Stan Bowman did fine, but didn't knock it out of the park. I wish he would have been able to find a top-six forward with some scoring touch, but I do think he did a nice job of picking up Trent Frederic and Jake Walman. Those two guys should help plug a few holes, and I'm looking forward to seeing what they can do.
<h2>Which addition are you most excited about?</h2>
Cam Lewis: <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/edmonton-oilers-announce-sharks-jake-walman-first-round-pick-carl-berglund">Jake Walman</a> is a very skilled defender and it's surprising that he's now on his fourth NHL team since being taken in the third round of the 2014 draft. He scored 12 goals and 21 points in 63 games for the Detroit Red Wings last season and was only a minus-one logging 23:11 per game for the terrible San Jose Sharks this year. It'll be interesting to see what he can do playing with the likes of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

Liam Horrobin: <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/oilers-expect-trent-frederic-debut-before-end-march">Trent Frederic</a> is going to be a fan favourite. He’s tough to play against and the Oilers lack his skillset. Once he gets playing, he could become one of the best deadline pickups this year.

Tyler Yaremchuk: I'm very excited about Jake Walman. If he pans out and the Oilers get a bonafide stud top-four defenceman with term for just a single first round pick, then their blueline is all of the sudden a strength and all their entire group of six defensemen is under team control for next season. This could be the group they run with for the next two playoff runs.

Zach Laing: It's Jake Walman for me as well, but I'm really excited to see Frederic. He's a physical forward who gets to the dirty areas, and the Oilers need a lot more of that in the mix.

Baggedmilk: I'm excited about Jake Walman. There are a lot of his underlying numbers that excite me, and seeing him play as well as he did on a horrible San Jose team makes me hopeful that he'll be able to help here too.

<hr />

[caption id="attachment_170267" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]<img class="size-large wp-image-170267" src="http://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/USATSI_25321800_168383996_lowres-1024x684.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="684" /> Feb 1, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Hurricanes right wing Mikko Rantanen (96) skates against the Los Angeles Kings during the third period at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images[/caption]

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<h2>Who's the best team in the Western Conference now?</h2>
Cam Lewis: When the Oilers are rolling, they're still the best team in the Western Conference. The trouble is we haven't seen them rolling since December and January. The Stars seem great on paper, but Mikko Rantanen didn't work in Carolina with Sebastian Aho and there's no guarantee he will in Dallas with Roope Hintz.

Liam Horrobin: It’s hard to not say the Dallas Stars. If, and it’s a big if, Viktor Arvidsson or Jeff Skinner can find their games more consistently, it could be the Oilers. With the addition of <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/dallas-stars-acquire-mikko-rantanen-carolina-hurricanes-western-conference-teams-load-up">Mikko Rantanen</a>, though, you have to respect Dallas.

Tyler Yaremchuk: I think the margin between Colorado and Dallas is razor thin. I like the stars in Colorado more, but Dallas' depth is just so strong now with both Rantanen and Granlund in the mix. If I had to pick one, I'll say Colorado because of the star power they have.
<div>

The Oilers are third on my list and it would be ideal to avoid those two teams before the Western Conference Final. I think the margin between Colorado and Dallas is razor thin. I like the stars in Colorado more, but Dallas' depth is just so good now with both Rantanen and Granlund in the mix. If I had to pick one, I'll say Colorado because of the star power they have.

Zach Laing: Can I say the Oilers? They have the star power, but I think their blue line is better than both the Avalanche and Stars. That might be the difference maker.

Baggedmilk: Based on picking up Mikko Rantanen at the deadline, it's hard not to say it's the Dallas Stars. I want to say the Edmonton Oilers, but I've also been watching the games, so it pains me to say Dallas.
<h2>Who looks like the clear winner or loser of this year's deadline?</h2>
Cam Lewis: Colorado was a winner for their in-season additions of Mackenzie Blackwood, Martin Necas, and Ryan Lindgren, among others, but Mikko Rantanen landing back in the Central Division is a tough look for the Avs. The Canucks standing in purgatory while not being able to get a contract sorted out with Brock Boeser isn't ideal either given what the likes of <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/washington-capitals-trade-anthony-beauvillier-pittsburgh-penguins-second-round-pick-nhl-trade-deadline">Anthony Beauvillier</a> netted in return. How the Los Angeles Kings didn't make a splash ahead of what looks like another series against Edmonton is beyond me.

Liam Horrobin: The Florida Panthers adding Seth Jones and Brad Marchand is unbelievable so they’re the winners in my eyes. Ottawa also had a sneaky good deadline adding Fabian Zetterlund and <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/senators-land-cozens-trade-division-rival-sabres">Dylan Cozens</a>. The loser is Detroit though. Do they realize you can only play one goaltender at a time?

Tyler Yaremchuk: Dallas is a major winner. Getting a signed Mikko Rantanen is amazing no matter what the price tag is. They are not just a legitimate Stanley Cup contender this year, but this move means that they are going to be in the mix for the next decade. Their window is cranked wide open.

As for losers, I got the Kings and Red Wings. Detroit is facing serious pressure to end their playoff drought and Yzerman just did nothing. It's crazy. As for Los Angeles, I felt like they needed to add some firepower to give themselves a fighting chance in the playoffs and Rob Blake went and got Andrei Kuzmenko. Yikes.

Zach Laing: It's got to be Dallas as the winner, right? Rantanen was the best player moved on Friday and that's what gives them the edge. The worst might belong to either the Canucks or Flames. Neither did anything and both had some players they could move out for future pieces.

Baggedmilk: I think Vancouver was a big loser because they couldn't trade Brock Boeser and will likely lose him for nothing. That's a rough use of assets for a team that mediocre.

</div>

Roundtable: Did the Oilers do enough ahead of the trade deadline? Are they still the team to beat in the Western Conference?

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