The Oilers appear to be saving millions for one major in-season move and Bob Stauffer guarantees it

Speaking on Oilers Now, Stauffer called it a stone cold mortal lock that Edmonton adds another top six forward at some point this season.

He also picked the Oilers to win their division.

The wording matters more than the prediction. At some point this season is not a summer promise.

Stauffer made the same request in late May, posting that Edmonton needed a legitimate top-six forward, possibly a distressed asset elsewhere.

Ten weeks on, the roster still does not have one.

Per PuckPedia, Edmonton carries a projected cap hit near $99.3 million against a $104 million ceiling, leaving roughly $4.7 million with 23 players already on the active roster. That buys depth, not a scoring winger.

Left untouched from opening night, that space compounds daily and gets spent in pro-rated dollars at the deadline. A shade under $5 million in October becomes a far larger number by early March.

Stan Bowman does not need to find a trade for the promise to hold. He needs to avoid spending the space.

That is where the rest of the roster gets decided. Preserving accrual means no veteran signing to fill the top-six vacancy, so those minutes fall to internal options by default.

Isaac Howard, acquired from Tampa Bay for prospect Sam O'Reilly, had five points in 29 NHL games last season. Under Mike Babcock he gets that runway because the cap demands it, not because he earned it.

The lock and the audition are the same decision.

Edmonton gets months of Howard precisely because Bowman is saving for March.

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