While it’s been many years since the Flyers and Oilers were considered rivals, their battles throughout the 1980’s in the playoffs during the Gretzky dynasty years in Edmonton provided some must-see hockey. Today, the tensions are relaxing, though did bubble up in 2015 when Brandon Manning broke then-rookie sensation Connor McDavid’s collarbone in a collision into the boards. It provided a spark for the next few meetings with the team, but with Manning long gone things have once again gone cold. The Flyers and Oilers were regular trade partners for much of their history until the last 15 years or so when only three smaller deals were made.
6/11/80 – Ron Areshenkoff and 1980 tenth round pick (Bob O’Brien) for Barry Dean
The first trade between the two teams took place during the Oilers’ first offseason as members of the NHL.
Ron Areshenkoff was a forward originally drafted by the Sabres in 1977 and taken by the Oilers in the 1979 expansion draft. He played four games for the Oilers, going pointless, before he was traded to the Flyers, but he’d never play a game for the club, retiring a few years later after low level minor league play.
Forward Bob O’Brien was drafted 195th overall in 1980 and never signed with the Flyers.
Barry Dean was a left winger who played 86 games with the Flyers from 1977 to 1979. He was acquired by the Oilers, but never made it out of their feeder team, the Wichita Wind. He’d retire after the 1981-82 season.
10/22/82 – Bob Hoffmeyer for Peter Dineen
Hoffmeyer was a depth defenseman who signed with the Flyers early in the 1981-82 season and played 57 games with the club. He was claimed by the Oilers in the 1982 Waivers Draft. Less than a month later the Flyers would re-acquire him for prospect Peter Dineen.
Dineen never played for either the Flyers or Oilers, spending almost all of his career as an in the AHL.
3/9/87 – Jeff Brubaker for Dom Campedelli
Brubaker was a journeyman AHL enforcer who was in the Oilers’ system for two years, but played just four games with the big club. He concluded the 1986-87 season with the Flyers’ AHL squad, the Hershey Bears, and joined the New York Rangers the following season.
Dom Campedelli was acquired by the Flyers from the Canadiens in October of 1986. He played 45 games with the Hershey Bears then was sent to the Oilers in March of 1987 in this trade. He’d play the 1987-88 season with the Nova Scotia Oilers of the AHL before retiring.
2/7/89 – Keith Acton and 1991 sixth round pick (Dimitri Yushkevich) for Dave Brown
Keith Acton was a veteran center who was over 600 games into his career by the time he was acquired by the Flyers. He’d play parts of five seasons in Philly where his play declined from its former heights. He retired in 1994 and returned to the Flyers organization as an assistant coach after one more NHL season split between the Capitals and Islanders.
The Flyers drafted defenseman Dimitri Yushkevich in 1991. He’d linger on the blue line from 1992 to 1995 before being traded to the Maple Leafs where he’d establish himself as one of the better defenseman in the league.
Dave Brown was a long-time enforcer for the Flyers, racking up over 1,000 penalty minutes in six seasons with the NHL squad. He played two seasons with the Oilers after this trade in a diminished role before the Flyers re-acquired him in 1991.
1/5/90 – Norm Lacombe for 1990 fourth round pick (Joel Blain)
Lacombe was a former 10th overall pick in 1983, but had very limited success with the Sabres and Oilers in his career. He played 92 games for the Flyers after this trade through the conclusion of the 1991 season scoring just 33 points before retiring that summer.
Joel Blain was a forward who had decent success in the QMJHL, but played just 29 games in the ECHL before retiring in 1993.
5/30/91 – Dave Brown, Corey Foster and rights to Jari Kurri for Scott Mellanby, Craig Berube and Craig Fisher
Brown returned to the Flyers after being acquired by the Oilers two years earlier. He played four more seasons in Philly and one in San Jose before retiring in 1996.
Corey Foster was a defenseman who did not play a game in Edmonton. He played 25 games with the Flyers after the trade then an additional two seasons with the Hershey Bears before leaving the organization in 1994.
Jari Kurri was in a contract dispute with the Oilers during the summer of 1990, a spat that saw him spend a season in the Italian Hockey League, was finally ended when his rights were dealt to the Flyers, then immediately flipped to the LA Kings as Kurri wanted to reunite with Wayne Gretzky.
Scott Mellanby had spent parts of six seasons with the Flyers before this trade. He was their 27th overall pick in 1984. He played two seasons with the Oilers before being left exposed at the 1993 expansion draft and was claimed by the Florida Panthers.
Berube was an enforcer in the Flyers organization since 1986. He never played a game for the Oilers, as he was dealt to the Maple Leafs before the start of the 1991-92 season, just four months after being acquired in this trade.
Craig Fisher was an AHL forward that had a standout colligate career at Miami University. He only played four games with the Flyers, and despite spending two seasons with the Oilers organization, never played in the NHL for them, but was a top player for the AHL affiliate the Cape Brenton Oilers.
1/16/93 – Josef Beranek and Greg Hawgood for Brian Benning
Josef Beranek was a forward who spent parts of three seasons with the Flyers.
Greg Hawgood was a journeyman defenseman who played 59 games for the Flyers until he was traded to the Florida Panthers for cash later the same year in November of 1993.
Brian Benning played just 18 games for the Oilers to finish out the 1992-93 season then signed as a free agent with the Panthers, where he’d play two more seasons before retiring in 1995.
3/13/95 – Brad Zavisha and 1995 sixth round pick (Jamie Sokolsky) for Ryan McGill
Brad Zavisha was a highly touted forward prospect before a knee injury sustained in 1992 took his career off course. He played two games for the Oilers and just 14 games for the Hershey Bears over the following calendar year before heading to Europe to finish his career in 1998.
The Flyers took defenseman Jamie Sokolsky 135th overall in 1995 but would never play a game for the franchise. He did have an extended run as an ECHL journeyman.
Ryan McGill was an enforcer with the Flyers and Hershey Bears for three seasons. Just eight games into his tenure with the Oilers he was hit in the eye by a puck and was prematurely forced to retire because of it.
6/18/97 – rights to Martin Cerven for 1997 seventh round pick (Chad Hinz)
Cerven was a standout in the WHL during his junior career but did not sign with the Oilers. He played two seasons with the Phantoms before spending the remaining five seasons of his career as an ECHL journeyman.
Chad Hinz was a forward who never played for the Oilers, but did have a career in various minor leagues until 2010.
10/15/97 – Brantt Myhers for Jason Bowen
Myhers was an enforcer who the Oilers acquired during the 1997 offseason from the Lightning. He was traded to the Flyers before playing a game in Edmonton. He’d spend the 1997-98 season between the Flyers and Phantoms and signed as a free agent in San Jose the following summer.
Jason Bowen was a defenseman and enforcer who played most of his six seasons in the Flyers organization with the Phantoms. He played four games with the Oilers but spent a bulk of his two seasons under contract in the AHL.
3/24/98 – Dan McGillis and 1998 second round pick (Jason Beckett) for Janne Niinimaa
McGillis was a standout collegiate player that showed promise with the Oilers. He played parts of six seasons with the Flyers, winning the Barry Ashbee Trophy as the team’s top defenseman in 2001. He was later traded to San Jose for Marcus Ragnarsson in late 2002.
The Flyers drafted defenseman Jason Beckett 42nd overall in 1998. He’d play two seasons with the organization split between the AHL and ECHL, but never made the NHL roster.
Niinimaa was a defenseman whom the Flyers selected 36th overall in 1993. He had two successful seasons in Philly and spent the next five years patrolling the Oilers’ blueline. Niinimaa was traded to the Islanders in March of 2003.
10/5/98 – Valeri Zelepukin for Daniel Lacroix
Zelepukin was acquired by the Oilers in January of 1998 as part of a blockbuster deal with the Devils centered around Bill Guerin and Jason Arnott. He played 33 games in Edmonton before being dealt to the Flyers at the start of the 1998-99 season. He played two relatively uneventful years with the Flyers before leaving for Chicago in free agency during the 2000 offseason.
Lacroix was a journeyman enforcer who would play just four games with the Oilers and the rest of the season with their AHL squad, the Hamilton Bulldogs, and signed with the New York Islanders the following season.
1/29/99 – Andrei Kovalenko for Alexandre Daigle
Daigle finished the 1997-98 season with the Flyers after being acquired from the Senators and started the 1998-99 campaign in Philly, for a total of 68 games before this trade. He didn’t play a game for the Oilers, being flipped to Tampa Bay later the same day in exchange for forward Alexander Selivanov.
Kovalenko’s longevity was just slightly longer in Philly, as he was a Flyer for just over two months before he was flipped to Carolina in exchange for defenseman Adam Burt before the trade deadline in 1999.
12/16/03 – Mike Comrie for Jeff Woywikta, 2004 first round pick (Rob Schremp), 2005 third round pick (Danny Syvret)
Edmonton native Mike Comrie was drafted by the Oilers 91st overall in 1999 and was a fan favorite for his first few years in the league. Then a contract dispute during the 2003 offseason quickly soured opinions on him from both the fans and organization and he was dealt to the Flyers. He’d play just 21 games in orange and black before being sent to Arizona in exchange for Sean Burke, Ben Eager and Branko Radivojevic in February of 2004.
Jeff Woywitka was the Flyers’ 27th overall pick in 2001. He only played half a season with the Phantoms before this trade. He never suited up for the Oilers either, spending two seasons in the AHL before being dealt to the Blues in the blockbuster Chris Pronger trade with St. Louis.
Rob Schremp was drafted 25th overall in 2004. He spent three seasons in the Oilers’ system though dressed for just seven NHL games before he was claimed off waivers by the Islanders in 2009.
Danny Syvret was the Oilers’ 81st overall pick in 2005. He played 26 NHL games over two seasons with the club before being acquired by the Flyers in 2008.
7/1/07 – Jason Smith and Joffrey Lupul for Joni Pitkanen, Geoff Sanderson and 2009 third round pick (Cameron Abney)
Jason Smith was the longtime captain of the Oilers and was a huge factor as the new captain of the Flyers, leading them from a worst place team in 2006-07 to an Eastern Conference Final appearance in 2008. The Flyers didn’t re-sign him in the summer of 2008. Smith played one more season with the Senators in 2008-09 before retiring in favor of a coaching gig, where he’d eventually end up back in the Flyers’ system as their assistant coach in the AHL.
Joffrey Lupul was a top prospect with the Ducks who was acquired by the Oilers in the Chris Pronger trade in the 2006 offseason. He played just one season in Edmonton before this trade. He suited up for 135 games for the Flyers over the course of two seasons when he was traded back to the Ducks, once again in exchange for Chris Pronger.
Joni Pitkanen was the Flyers’ fourth overall pick in 2002. He was apart of the organization for four seasons. He spent just one season in Edmonton with a career-low point production and was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes in 2008.
Geoff Sanderson was a 15-year NHL veteran by the time he arrived in Edmonton. He had an underwhelming season with the Flyers, posting just 29 points in 58 games. Sanderson played just 41 games for the Oilers, racking up just 13 points. He wasn’t offered a contract during the 2008 offseason and retired as a player after 700 career games.
Cameron Abney was the 82nd overall pick in 2009. He only played in 18 AHL games in between a four-year career in the ECHL before retiring in 2015.
6/6/08 – Danny Syvret for Ryan Potulny
Syvret bounced between the AHL and NHL for the Oilers, then bounced between the NHL and AHL for the Flyers upon his acquisition. He played just 24 NHL games during his first tenure with the Flyers organization, but he’s most famously remembered for scoring the Flyers’ only goal during the 2010 Winter Classic. He signed with the Ducks during the 2010 offseason, ending what would be his first of three stints with the Flyers organization.
Ryan Potulny was a college standout and 87th overall pick by the Flyers in 2003. He was in the Flyers organization from 2006 to 2008, playing 44 NHL games and 88 AHL games, where he’s best remembered for his game-winning goal in the fifth overtime in the 2008 AHL semifinals, which was the longest AHL game at that time. Potulny finally stuck on an NHL roster when he played 64 games for the Oilers during the 2009-10 season, though he wasn’t re-signed during the same summer.
3/21/18 – 2019 third round pick (Alex Campbell)(traded to NSH) for Cooper Marody
Nearly 10 years after their last trade, the Flyers and Oilers hooked up for a new deal.
Cooper Marody was a 158th overall pick by the Flyers in 2015 but wasn’t going to sign with the club out of college. He was dealt to the Oilers and signed an ELC a month later. He’d only play seven NHL games in Edmonton, but had a relatively successful run in the AHL during his tenure with the franchise. He signed back with the Flyers in 2022 as a free agent.
The Flyers would trade that 2019 third round pick to Nashville in a package deal to move up to the 34th overall pick and select forward Bobby Brink. Alex Campbell went unsigned by the Predators.
2/15/19 – Cam Talbot for Anthony Stolarz
This trade helped set a record for most goaltenders used by an organization in a single season.
Cam Talbot was friends and training partners with Carter Hart and it was decided that he’s be a good tandem partner for the then-rookie Hart. He played just four games with the Flyers and left in free agency during the summer after he was unhappy with his usage.
Stolarz was the longtime goaltender within the Flyers’ organization after he was drafted in 2012. He only played six games for the Oilers before joining the Ducks in free agency in 2019.
Cam Talbot became the eighth goaltender to play for the Flyers on March 1, 2019, a new NHL record for most goalies used by a team in a single season.
3/21/22- 2023 fourth round pick (Anthony Ciernik) for Derick Brassard
The Flyers shipped veteran forward Derick Brassard to Edmonton in exchange for a 2023 fourth round pick they’d use to select forward Alex Ciernak. Brassard played 15 games with the Oilers to end the season then signed with the Senators during the summer.
6/28/24- 2025 first round pick (Traded to PIT) for 2024 first round pick (Sam O’Reilly)
The Flyers and Oilers swapped first round picks late in the 2024 entry draft. The Flyers had previously acquired the 2024 first round pick from the Claude Giroux trade. They sent the 32nd overall selection to the Oilers for a top-12 protected pick in 2025. The Oilers selected forward Sam O’Reilly with their new pick.
The Flyers would trade that 2025 first round pick to the Penguins as part of a deal to move up to 12 overall and select Jack Nesbitt.
11/4/24- Ben Gleason for Ronnie Attard
Less than half a year after their last trade, the Flyers shipped disgruntled right-handed defenseman Ronnie Attard to Edmonton in exchange for fellow RHD Ben Gleason. Attard spent the entire season in the AHL. Gleason only suited up for 29 games with the Phantoms due to a series of injuries and healthy scratches.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
brotherlypuck.com 