The Edmonton Oilers and Ryan O’Reilly could be a great match for hockey.
The Oilers won’t play in the NHL again until after the Olympics. Still, they just lost three games in a row to the Minnesota Wild, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Calgary Flames, which is really disappointing for them.
To help them bounce back and rise in the standings, one hockey analyst thinks O’Reilly would be the best player for them to trade for.
Ryan O’Reilly is a ‘Great Match’ For the Edmonton Oilers
While Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Josh Samanski are competing for a medal at the Olympics, the management is thinking about ways to improve the team. Allen Mitchell from The Athletic recently talked about one player he believes would be a “great fit.”
“Ryan O’Reilly from the Nashville Predators has a cap hit of $4.5 million and meets all the needs for Edmonton at the third-line center spot,” Mitchell wrote on February 9, 2026. “His puck skills show he competes against the best players in 45 percent of his minutes (which is a tough job) and helps Nashville stay competitive during those times. ”
“Among the players available for trade, O’Reilly might be the best option because he fits well, has an affordable contract, and won’t cost too much to get for Bowman. ”
O’Reilly is a center for the Nashville Predators who stands 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighs 207 pounds. In the 2025-26 season, he has scored 20 goals, racked up 56 points, and has a faceoff percentage of 55.3 over 57 games. He has also played for the Colorado Avalanche, Buffalo Sabres, St. Louis Blues, and Maple Leafs before joining the Predators.
What Does Ryan O’Reilly Bring to the Table?
O’Reilly has some strong skills: he’s great at taking faceoffs and plays well on both defense and offense. Basically, he is the ideal center for the playoffs.
During the regular season, his career faceoff percentage is 55.6. But in the playoffs, he remains a strong two-way player.
O’Reilly won the Stanley Cup with the Blues in the 2018-19 season. During those 26 playoff games, he got 23 points, had a faceoff percentage of 50.1, and averaged 21 minutes of ice time each game.
When looking at other NHL players who have taken at least 800 faceoffs this season, O’Reilly is in eighth place for faceoff percentage. The only Oilers player ahead of him is Draisaitl, who is ranked fifth with a 56.4 faceoff percentage.
O’Reilly Against Top Competitors
As Mitchell pointed out earlier, he thinks O’Reilly would be the perfect fit as the third-line center for the Oilers. He also talks about how O’Reilly has performed well against top teams, which we will examine now.
PuckIQ says that O’Reilly has spent 45.1 percent of his playing time facing top-level teams. During those moments, he has a 50.1 Corsi For percentage (CF%) and a 45.6 Dangerous Fenwick For percentage (DFF%).
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has played the most against top teams among all the Oilers forwards, with 37.8 percent. In that time, he has a 50.2 CF% and a 49.9 DFF%.
Shane Pinto, Jason Dickinson, Zemgus Girgensons, Auston Matthews, Michael Amadio, Pontus Holmberg, J. T. Miller, Adam Lowry, and Warren Foegele have all played more against top teams than O’Reilly. Out of those nine players, only four have a better CF%, and six have a better DFF%.
However, only three of those players can realistically be traded for. The three are Dickinson, Amadio, and Holmberg. Amadio and Holmberg have better CF% and DFF% than O’Reilly, but only Amadio plays center. On a winning team for the Stanley Cup, Amadio would be the perfect fourth-line center.
Are the Oilers Interested in Anyone Else?
It’s hard to find someone who fits better than O’Reilly as a third-line center. Besides his skills on the ice, he only makes $4.5 million a year.
The Fourth Period’s 2026 trade board suggests that the Oilers are also looking at a few more players. Boone Jenner from the Columbus Blue Jackets is the only other center mentioned with the Oilers. Out of these two, O’Reilly is the better option.
To create the best playoff team, the Oilers would really struggle to find a better improvement than O’Reilly.
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