NHL Trade Rumors: Oilers Tried To Acquire Jean-Gabriel Pageau
Before this year's trade deadline, the Edmonton Oilers made a serious effort to acquire veteran center Jean-Gabriel Pageau from the New York Islanders. Oilers general manager Stan Bowman was seeking a reliable, two-way forward to bolster the team’s center depth, ideally someone with term left on his deal who could contribute beyond just a playoff run. Pageau, with 37 points in 68 games and a 59.6 percent faceoff win rate, checked all the boxes. He also brought a proven playoff track record, with 41 points in 82 postseason games and regular roles on both special teams units.Told this by several teams over the last week: the player on #Isles most in-demand before trade deadline after Brock Nelson is not Kyle Palmieri. It’s Jean-Gabriel Pageau.— Chris Botta (@ChrisBottaNHL) February 1, 2025
Despite mutual interest, the deal fell apart for two key reasons. The Islanders were unwilling to retain any salary on Pageau’s $5 million cap hit, which runs through the 2025–26 season, and they weren’t interested in a return centered around draft picks. “If we could have gotten younger and better, other than draft picks, we would have done it without question,” Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello said after the deadline. The Islanders later moved Brock Nelson—who was on an expiring contract—in a separate deal that better matched their long-term goals. Edmonton, constrained by the salary cap and Draisaitl’s looming extension, couldn’t take on Pageau’s full contract without retention.Pierre Engvall finds Jean-Gabriel Pageau who opens up the scoring for the #Isles pic.twitter.com/fms4L69STO— Isles on MSGSN (@IslesMSGN) April 2, 2023
With talks falling through, the Oilers pivoted quickly. They acquired forwards Trent Frederic and Max Jones to help shore up their bottom six and also brought in defenseman Jake Walman from San Jose. Frederic has yet to debut due to injury, and while he brings grit and versatility, he lacks Pageau’s two-way pedigree and experience. The failed Pageau trade remains a missed opportunity for Edmonton, especially with McDavid and Draisaitl sidelined, and the team now hoping its depth moves are enough for another deep playoff run.Photo Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images...
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