According to NHL insiders, the Edmonton Oilers are interested in Pittsburgh’s d-man and require a top 4-d-man.

This comes from two NHL insiders: Josh Yoshe of The Athletic and former general manager and player agent Brian Lawton. Lawton believes the Edmonton Oilers still need a top four defenseman, while Yoshe believes the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Marcus Pettersson is a target for Edmonton.

“It’s always the same for me, and that is to find a partner for Darnell (Nurse) and that second pair that can allow the Oilers to know that they’re going to be able to control at the end of the day virtually 80% of the game from the back end,” Lawton said in an interview with Bob Stauffer of Oilers Now regarding Edmonton’s top trade need. I still haven’t located that.

This is what Pittsburgh’s beat writer Yoshe had to say about Pettersson, who is nearing the end of his contract. “Petersson has been fine even though he isn’t enjoying his normally reliable defensive season. He is still the type of player that teams want, and he is most likely gone. The Penguins only have so many players without no-trade clauses, and they are aware that they can get a good piece in exchange for Pettersson. He is of interest to Vancouver and Edmonton.

My opinion 1. 

In the final year of his contract, Pettersson, 28, receives $4.0 million annually. This season, he has played roughly 22 minutes each game for Pittsburgh and is a long, skinny defensive d-man with puck-moving ability. He gets roughly one hit every game on average. I haven’t done the work of watching the video of his last 30 games and taken thorough notes, so I can’t offer you a reliable assessment of his worth to the Oilers. Although he has the most even strength and penalty kill minutes of any left-shot d-man on the club, the Penguins like him enough to utilize him in a heavy rotation.

2. According to Stauffer, the Oilers are seeking a defensive end with a longer contract than this one season as well as a right-side player. As previously stated, Pettersson’s contract expires at the end of this year.

3. Although I’m more confident in Kulak as Nurse’s partner than in Lawton, you can never have too many reliable d-men, and the Oilers do need another large, left-handed d-man who can move the puck and defend. Pettersson may check off those boxes, but for a team like the Oilers that is strapped for cash, his cap hit is significant.

4. Since it’s the new year and Ty Emberson is eligible to negotiate a new contract, Stauffer and others have also discussed the Oilers’ desire to sign Emberson to a longer-term agreement. Both the athlete and the team would benefit from this. Emberson has performed admirably, displaying a physical advantage, defensive awareness, and growing puck-moving abilities. The Oilers defense is known for its ability to move the puck, and new players Emberson and Stecher are better at it than either Vincent Desharnais or Cody Ceci, if not nearly as good as Philip Broberg.

5. Rather than a d-man, a forward might still be Edmonton’s most pressing need. However, it would be beneficial for Edmonton if they could get a large, puck-moving d-man as well as a robust forward with a respectable level of ability.