Edmonton Oilers Top Trade Target Stolen Away At The Last Moment By The Maple Leafs Per Insider

This summer has been an up-and-down one for many teams around the NHL, but none more so than the Edmonton Oilers, who have missed out on some big names in free agency, and on the trade market as well.

The team have moved on from Viktor Arvidsson and Evander Kane while losing both Corey Perry and Connor Brown in free agency, and to replace them, the team have simply signed Andrew Mangiapane.

While not a bad move by any means, the team had other plays up their sleeve, as they were targeting some big time trades, but unfortunately, one of those trade targets were taken by the Toronto Maple Leafs.

According to reports from Elliotte Friedman, the Oilers were zeroing in on Matias Maccelli from the Utah Mammoth shortly after the team traded for JJ Peterka, but unfortunately for them, it was Toronto that swooped in and made the deal happen first.

It's unclear what exactly Edmonton were offering Utah to land Maccelli, but it apparently wasn't enough, as there was an offer on the table before Bill Armstrong chose to go in another direction and send him to the Maple Leafs.

In Maccelli, the Oilers could have had a former 50 point scorer that still has potential at just 24-years of age, but now, they'll be trying to piece together a forward group that will likely include young Matthew Savoie and other unproven pieces.

Ultimately, the Oilers forward group has no doubt been down graded over the past few weeks, and while there are still many chances for them to improve before the 2025/26 season begins, missing out on Maccelli must be a bitter pill to swallow.