Spencer Stastney might be the odd man out on a crowded Edmonton blue line, and a few teams around the league could genuinely use him.
Anaheim stands out as an obvious fit. The Ducks lost Jacob Trouba, Radko Gudas, John Carlson, and Olen Zellweger from last year's group, leaving a tentative top six of Tristan Leneau, Tyson Hinds, Ian Moore, and Nick Jensen. Moore was actually playing forward during last year's first round series.
There might still be some Pacific Division tension between these two front offices, but GM Stan Bowman shouldn't let that get in the way.
Ducks GM Pat Verbeek has likely been stewing all summer, and he still hasn't even locked up Cutter Gauthier, sticking to his usual frugal approach even after handing out Leo Carlsson's massive new contract.
The math on Edmonton's own depth chart is pretty clear. Evan Bouchard, Mattias Ekholm, Connor Murphy, Jake Walman, Ryan Shea, Ty Emberson, and Shakir Mukhamadullin all rank ahead of Stastney right now.
Why the numbers suggest moving on makes sense
Behind him, Alec Regula, Atro Leppanen, and even Josh Brown represent the next names in line, with Damien Carfagna and Beau Akey as potential steps forward too.
Stastney was really a stopgap addition last season while Brett Kulak was out, and he's a genuinely strong skater. But once Edmonton got healthy again, he barely played, last suiting up on March 19th against Florida.
He re-signed as an RFA in July on a one year, $1,525,000 deal that walks straight to unrestricted free agency. He's a bit of a late bloomer too, never playing more than 23 games in a season until last year's 66 game workload.
Nashville developed him since 2018, and given that, Edmonton could probably convince a rival a third round pick is fair compensation to bring him in.
The underlying numbers explain why he's the odd man out.
With Stastney on the ice at five-on-five, Edmonton controlled just 47 percent of shot attempts, 46.9 percent of expected goals, and only 38.9 percent of actual goals, real offensive struggles regardless of opponent.
That picture improved considerably next to Ty Emberson specifically. Together, they outscored opponents 8-5 for a 61.5 percent goal share across 225 minutes, proof there's real chemistry there even if the broader numbers with other partners weren't as kind.
Trading a defenseman too early is always a little risky given how unpredictable injuries can be, something Edmonton learned firsthand last season.
But for what an eighth defenseman actually costs on a crowded roster, keeping him doesn't look like the smart move.
There's still a path where he earns real trust from Mike Babcock and shows well enough in camp to change that calculus.
But the more likely outcome, and the smarter one for Edmonton's roster construction, is finding him a new home before the season starts.
Should the Oilers trade Spencer Stastney given how crowded their blue line is?
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