The Edmonton Oilers are on a roll and are looking like a serious contender right now. They are going to add more pieces before the trade deadline, but there seems to still be questions about whether that will come in the form of a top-six forward, top-four right-shot defenceman, or a backup goaltender. I believe the biggest need is to improve the top-four and upgrade over Cody Ceci, not only for this season, but for next season as well.
Any trade involving Ceci will get him off the books for this season and next, as he is an unrestricted free agent (UFA) in 2025. As the numbers of this pairing with Ceci and Darnell Nurse (including Corsi for percentage, Fenwick for percentage, shots for percentage, expected goals for percentage, scoring chances for percentage, and high danger chances for percentage) have been the worst out of the three pairings on the Oilers this season, this is the only change needed. Any talks of needing more depth and bringing someone in without moving someone (Ceci) out isn’t logical as the Oilers have multiple depth options in the minors right now in Philip Broberg, Ben Gleason, and Philip Kemp as top options to fill in if absolutely needed.
Having understood all of this, a trade for a new partner for Nurse would have the greatest impact on the team this season, and that upgrade should come in the form of Sean Walker of the Philadelphia Flyers.
Why Sean Walker?
The Flyers hold a spot amongst the top eight in the Eastern Conference right now, so why are we talking about them looking to sell certain pieces? Well, they are still committed to a rebuild, so that means getting futures back for roster players. Walker has had a strong season, especially at the beginning of the season, and is a UFA in the summer. As far as rentals go, the Flyers can get some value from a limited market of right-shot defencemen considering he has an offensive side to his game as well.
Walker is a second or third-pairing defenseman and has proven he can handle top-four minutes since he has played there for most of the season. While he’s not a top-pairing defenceman, the Oilers don’t need that as Evan Bouchard has a hold of the team lead in average ice time per game (22:46). Walker will only have to fit in beside Nurse and be better than Ceci at a lower cap hit. As far as ice time goes this season, Walker averages just 37 seconds fewer per game than Ceci and that is only because the Flyers have more competition for playing time than the Oilers do, especially on the right side.
In terms of what impact Walker can have in comparison to Ceci, the Flyers’ defenceman has more blocks (69-65), hits (53-30), and very impressively more takeaways (23) than giveaways (19). Not many times will you see a defenceman with a positive takeaway/giveaway ratio. During many of the Oilers’ games, it is evident that more mistakes are made when the Nurse/Ceci pairing is on the ice than the other two pairings. Walker has been a surprising player for the Flyers at both ends, but the team has lost five in a row and is close to slipping out of a playoff spot. They have the work ethic, but just aren’t there yet in terms of skill. Futures will help them more than hanging onto Walker for the rest of the season and then potentially losing him in free agency.
Who Links Oilers to Walker & Which Other Team is in the Running?
An insider linked the Oilers to Walker recently, while also mentioning another team who has had some conversations with the Flyers. This was revealed by Elliotte Friedman on The Jeff Marek Show and he said, “I think more likely than not, Walker gets moved, whether it’s Edmonton or I saw some Tampa (Bay Lightning) conversations yesterday.”
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It is clear that the Oilers are looking to upgrade the right side and Walker’s name is heavily in the mix. If they are to offer a draft pick (which the Oilers have a good amount of) and Ceci to the Flyers for Walker before the trade deadline, that would work for both sides and has to be done from the perspective of the Oilers due to position and the cap. With Nick Seeler and Marc Staal likely moving on at the deadline or after the season, the team will lack some veteran leadership on the back end that Ceci can contribute to for a season. The Oilers wouldn’t have to give up their first-round pick in a trade for a defensive upgrade and could use it elsewhere (top-six forward), or keep it in their back pocket. This trade would benefit both the Oilers and Flyers in terms of where they are in the standings and their future.
The Lightning are right in the battle for a playoff spot, even more so than the Oilers. While they rank fifth in the league in goals, they sit 23rd in goals against. Along with injuries, the team just has not been as strong defensively. Yes, Walker will help and his cap hit fits better on their team than other potential options, but when Mikhail Sergachev and Erik Cernak return from injury very shortly, there will be too many defencemen on the roster to really justify adding more.
Walker is a better option for the Oilers and the cap space would also work out better in Edmonton since his cap hit is $2.65 million average annual value (AAV) and Ceci’s is $3.25 million AAV. The Oilers won’t be the only team looking into Walker and it won’t necessarily be easy to acquire him, but it makes a lot of sense for him to be a target this season for Edmonton.