The Oilers currently sit 12th in the league with 987 hits through 41 games. With the Oilers' current configuration with small skilled forwards and a defense corps that's less to be desired, grit is certainly a need this team requires.
We have seen as NHL fans that a playoff team looks very different from a seasonal one, with grit and sandpaper as they say, which is required for the long slog that is the NHL playoffs. The Oilers will likely look for that kind of player at the trade deadline.
While it's not easy to make these deals this quickly, and they have a better chance of acquiring these pieces during the off-season, I would expect them to do so.