Petrovic, 26, had one assist in 26 games with the Panthers this season. He has 49 points (five goals, 44 assists) in 254 NHL games, all with Florida, which selected him in the second round (No. 36) in the 2010 NHL Draft.
"I don't know much about him," Oilers coach Ken Hitchcock said. "I know he's a local guy and has a lot of friends on the team. He's a defending defenseman that makes a good first pass. For us, size matters in this conference."
The Oilers (18-17-3) have lost their past five games, including 7-4 to the San Jose Sharks on Saturday. They are sixth in the Pacific Division and four points behind the Dallas Stars for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference heading into their game against the Winnipeg Jets on Monday (9 p.m. ET; SNW, TSN3, NHL.TV).
"He plays with a bit of an edge," Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins said. "We don't play them too much here, but even from my time playing with him in the NHL, he still has that edge to his game. He can be a little mean sometimes which is a good attribute to have, especially as a big D-man. He can add a good dynamic to the team."
Wideman, 28, had two assists in five games with the Oilers, who acquired him in a trade with the Ottawa Senators on Nov. 22. He has seven points (two goals, five assists) in 24 games this season, and 45 points (16 goals, 29 assists) in 180 NHL games since being selected by the Senators in the fourth round (No. 100) in the 2009 NHL Draft.
The Panthers (16-15-6) are sixth in the Atlantic Division and seven points behind the Montreal Canadiens for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference. They have won three of their past four games and play at the Detroit Red Wings on Monday (7:30 p.m. ET; FS-D, FS-F, NHL.TV).
Later on Sunday, the Oilers acquired defensemen Brandon Manning and Robin Norell in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks for forward Drake Caggiula and defenseman Jason Garrison.
