Elliotte Friedman reveals interesting Oilers trade target

As the 2026-27 season commences, Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman released a written version of his famous 32 Thoughts column.

Every time the latest version of his article drops, it feels like the NHL news cycle kicks into high gear. For hockey fans, it is one of the most entertaining times and usually there is a little tidbit or two for everybody to enjoy and this iteration is no different.

There were plenty of interesting nuggets of information pertaining to the Oilers, with one in particular being a storyline to continue watching; The Oilers want a right-shot centre.

On the topic Friedman wrote “Edmonton has no right-shot centres. That’s why you hear a lot of Kirby Dach (plus his history with Stan Bowman). They also took a long look at Shane Wright, but it didn’t get to the finish line. Would have liked to see that fit.”

The Oilers look to acquire a right-shot centre

The only right-shot centre currently under contract in the Oilers system is Owen Michaels who surprisingly made the club’s opening night roster after a strong showing in training camp.

This is why it was recently reported that the Oilers had shown interest in acquiring Montreal Canadiens centre Kirby Dach. The 25 year old centre has struggled with injury setbacks consistently throughout his career.

In 2023-24, he played just two games with the Canadiens, the following year in 2024-25 saw him play 57 games. Then last season in 2025-26 he made just 37 appearances with an additional19 games played in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Friedman also revealed that the Oilers showed interest in acquiring former fourth overall pick, Shane Wright. The young centre was granted exceptional status by Hockey Canada to join the Ontario Hockey League as a 15 year old, in 2019. Although he has not lived up to the hype that came with this special designation, Wright has shown some promise.

Through 169 career games, he has scored 36 goals and 42 assists for 78 points, averaging just 13:40 of ice time throughout his career. He has played primarily as a third line centre with limited powerplay usage and for a team that has struggled to generate offence.

Oilers trying to find diamonds in the rough

The fact that Bowman kicked tires on both Dach and Wright shows that the Oilers GM really is hoping for not just a right-handed centre but one that is young. As well, both of these players are two that show potential as undervalued assets who for various reasons could have a lot more to give than what they.ve shown.

This is an exciting direction for the team to take because it means they are trying to find ways to extract value out of players, potentially acquiring them for less than what they believe they could truly be worth on their team.

This is how teams stay competitive and hit home runs, you have to try and find ways to get value where you can. If they can get them on cheaper contracts and for less trade assets than more established options, it could be the type of move that wins you a Stanley Cup. Teams like the Florida Panthers, Vegas Golden Knights, and the Carolina Hurricanes have found a lot of success using these methods.