Oilers Should Acquire Flyers Defenceman Nick Seeler

The Oilers should be watching the Flyers’ progression and pounce on the opportunity to pursue Seeler if they have the chance to do so. He is a strong defensive-minded player that would be the perfect fit for the Oilers. It may cost the team a prospect and a high draft pick to bring him in but it’s worth it. The Oilers need to fill out their defensive depth on the left side if they want any hope of making a deep run into the playoffs this season.

Who Is Nick Seeler?

Seeler is a 30-year-old left-shot defenseman from Eden Prairie, Minnesota who currently plays for the Flyers. He was drafted by the Minnesota Wild in the fifth round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft at 131st overall after a solid season in the United States High School league in Minnesota (USHS-MN) where he scored seven goals and added 27 assists for 34 points through 22 games. He would follow it up after being drafted with a few strong seasons in the United States Hockey League (USHL) and the NCAA.

Seeler joined the University of Nebraska-Omaha during the 2012-13 season and made an impact right away. In 34 games, he scored two goals and added seven assists for nine points. While he never exploded offensively, the Wild began to take notice of his big frame and strong defensive game which were only getting better as time went on. The following season, he scored four goals and added six assists for ten points through 36 games and had an even stronger defensive showing. He didn’t play during the 2014-15 season as he entered the NCAA transfer portal, but he joined the University of Minnesota for the 2015-16 season.

During the 2015-16 season with Minnesota, he put up ten assists in 36 games. He earned his first taste of professional hockey action during the 2016-17 season when he joined the Iowa Wild in the American Hockey League (AHL) where he put up five assists through 57 games. He got his first taste of NHL action in the 2017-18 season where he was able to get four assists through 22 games as well as two goals and ten assists for 12 points through 49 games in the AHL in the same season.

Seeler didn’t play much in the 2019-20 season, sat out the 2020-21 season and joined the Flyers in the 2021-22 season. Since joining the Flyers, he has been one of their most consistent defencemen in the defensive zone and could be someone that brings them back plenty of assets should they choose to begin selling. His career high in points came in the 2022-23 season where he had 14 points in 77 games.

Seeler isn’t the most offensive defenceman but that’s not what the Oilers need, so he is exactly what they need as far as a fit goes as someone that fills a hole. With Philip Broberg likely being traded in the coming weeks, they will need to find a replacement on their left side anyway, so Seeler should be that guy.

What Would It Take For The Oilers To Acquire Seeler?

Seeler has an extremely affordable $775,000 cap hit that the Oilers shouldn’t have any issues bringing onto their roster. With the Flyers acquiring Jamie Drysdale, I’m not sure they’d be interested in adding another young defenceman in Broberg, but it would make sense if they wanted to bring in a different young player like Raphael Lavoie or Carter Savoie on top of draft picks in exchange for Seeler. Regardless, it shouldn’t be a massive package that the Flyers ask for, so the Oilers should, at the very least, inquire about his availability.

The Oilers should be looking to upgrade their roster sooner rather than later so they can get a leg up and begin working any new players in to improve the chemistry. If it were up to me, Seeler would be one of the Oilers’ primary targets heading into the deadline. Hopefully, they can make the right moves, regardless of whether or not that involves Seeler, and continue pushing for the postseason with a chance to win a Stanley Cup.