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The Seattle Kraken are not exactly eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs at this time. Anything can happen in these final couple months of the regular season. However, it certainly does not look good for Seattle. The Kraken have struggled mightily at times throughout the season, and they could become sellers at the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline. One potential trade candidate to keep an eye on is defenseman Jamie Oleksiak.
Oleksiak joined the Kraken during the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft. Since then, he has emerged as a steady top-four presence on Seattle's blueline. He has averaged 19 minutes a game at least in each of the last three seasons, though his minutes are down a bit in 2024-25. And he has pitched in with a bit of offense from the point, as well.
Oleksiak has played a long and respectable career in the NHL. The Toronto, Ontario native also brings a fair amount of Stanley Cup Playoff experience. He went to the Stanley Cup Final with the Dallas Stars in 2020. And in 2023, he nearly beat the Stars to take the Kraken to the Western Conference Finals. However, Dallas won Game 7, allowing them to face the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2023 West Final.
The Kraken certainly could keep Oleksiak past this season. He is signed through the 2025-26 campaign after receiving a five-year contract in 2021. The 32-year-old is still playing at a high level despite his minutes decline. He can log big minutes at even strength and be deployed as a trusted penalty killer.
However, the extra year on his contract could increase his trade value. And considering that this is a seller's market, the Kraken may receive a haul to part with their veteran defenseman before March 7th. With this in mind, here are two of the best Jamie Oleksiak landing spots ahead of the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline.
Stars could reunite with Jamie Oleksiak
As mentioned, Jamie Oleksiak went to the Stanley Cup Final with the Stars in 2020. Dallas lost in that series to the Tampa Bay Lightning. And a year later, Oleksiak was off to Seattle. However, there is a possibility the two sides reunite through a trade with the Kraken this year.
The Stars traded for Cody Ceci and Mikael Granlund earlier this season. This helped the team fill a need. Miro Heiskanen is out with a brutal knee injury at this time. He won't be back for a while, and Ceci can help cover the right side of the defense until he's back.
However, Ceci is not a complete replacement for Heiskanen. No player on the trade market this year could fill that role. This could lead Dallas to making multiple trades to try and bolster the defense. That's where the Kraken and Oleksiak come in.
Oleksiak could come in and play big minutes for Dallas until Heiskanen returns. Once this happens, he could replace Brendan Smith on the third pairing to truly bolster the Stars' defense. Dallas has prided itself on its defensive ability over the last few seasons. It has helped the Stars make back-to-back Western Conference Finals. If they want to make a third, Oleksiak may be a necessary addition.
Oilers, Kraken could become trade partners
The Edmonton Oilers signed John Klingberg for the rest of the season. Klingberg was once a standout offensive defenseman in the NHL. Now, he is more of a depth option for whichever he team he suits up for. As a result, the Oilers are still looking to add a defenseman before the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline.
Jamie Oleksiak is certainly more than a depth option for this team. However, he could be a significant upgrade for the Oilers. Darnell Nurse has been a massive flop since signing his $74 million contract extension in 2021. And Oleksiak is a better option than Brett Kulak on the left side of the blueline.
The Oilers may hesitate to make this move, though. Edmonton has to sign Connor McDavid before the end of the 2025-26 campaign. Additionally, young defenseman Evan Bouchard is in line for a contract extension of his own this offseason. Adding a near $5 million cap hit to their books for this season and next limits their financial capability to sign those players.
Edmonton will need to clear some salary out for next season to make this work. The Kraken could also retain some salary in order to maximize the return for Oleksiak even more. In any event, a move for Oleksiak makes a ton of sense for the Oilers. It could certainly help the franchise return to the Stanley Cup Final after a last season's disappointing heartbreak.
