The Edmonton Oilers are in a difficult spot. Despite not yet winning the Stanley Cup during the Connor McDavid era, the team is aging out in some important areas. The gap between the elite talent and the upper-level support is eroding as foundation players enter their mid-30s.The team has cap room this summer, but there will still be holes to fill when money gets tight in late July. The Oilers need to steal a player from another organization. A theft in broad daylight is the only solution to Edmonton’s problem. A player with at least some NHL experience, which must include some scoring ability at five-on-five and at least some defensive awareness. Sound impossible? That’s the job this summer.The situationThe Oilers have three elite talents: McDavid (1.683 points per game in 2025-26), Leon Draisaitl (1.492) and Evan Bouchard (1.159). All are at the cutting edge of NHL scoring. McDavid was second among NHL forwards, Draisaitl fourth, and Bouchard led the league’s defencemen in points per game. For any team, that’s a fantastic foundation.Since Zach Hyman arrived via free agency in the summer of 2021, he and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins have been staples on the top two lines (along with McDavid and Draisaitl). However, as Hyman and Nugent-Hopkins age, much of their offence is derived via the power play. At five-on-five, the downbeat in offence that occurs for all players in their 30s is evident:Player2023-242024-252025-26Zach Hyman2.531.671.82Ryan Nugent-Hopkins1.661.231.38All numbers five-on-five, via Natural Stat TrickNugent-Hopkins at five-on-five has always been a complementary offensive contributor, but he has posted more than 30 or more points at five-on-five in five of his NHL seasons. The most recent came in 2022-23, when Nugent-Hopkins scored 39 points. In 2025-26, he delivered 22 points, an increase of one from 2024-25. Nugent-Hopkins’ offence at five-on-five is fading.Hyman at five-on-five with Edmonton started at 1.97 points per 60 in 2022-23, then delivered outstanding 2.37 and 2.53 totals in the following seasons. He’s the best free-agent signing in Oilers history and remains a productive five-on-five scorer. His issue is injuries, and as he gets older, the team will probably have to play more games without him because of it.In-house solutions aren’t enoughAll of which brings us to the issue at hand. The Oilers have two young wingers who are delivering well as offensive contributors. Vasily Podkolzin (1.73 points per 60 at five-on-five) and Matt Savoie (1.51) are quality players, and both possess a range of skills that allow them to rise above the one-dimensional types. Both men could be productive for years alongside centres like McDavid and Draisaitl, but cannot be considered drivers on a line. Each has more tools than a one-dimensional winger like Jack Roslovic on last year’s team, but neither man would be mistaken for prime Taylor Hall during his Edmonton years.There’s talk in Edmonton about acquiring wingers like Jordan Kyrou of the St. Louis Blues or Owen Tippett of the Philadelphia Flyers. Both would be welcome additions to the Oilers, but they carry large salaries, and the asset cost to acquire them would be high.