If the Edmonton Oilers are going to put all of their chips in this season, GM Ken Holland is going to need to be willing to make moves that, at the time, might feel questionable. Allan Mitchell of The Athletic took a look at five specific options and all will have an impact on the team’s future. Because of the risk factors involved, this post more closely examines three of them.
But, as Mitchell explains, “Chances are general manager Ken Holland will be quick to strike, quicker than a year ago, if cracks appear.” In other words, the Oilers aren’t waiting around for the future. They’re taking their shot in the present.
The Oilers 2024 First-Round Pick
The Oilers place significant value on high draft picks, and because their projected 2024 first-round selection falls within the 25-32 range, an argument can be made that the selection won’t fetch an NHL guarantee. As such, the pick should be traded if there’s immediate help available. Bob Stauffer recently projected there was a 97% chance the Oilers move this pick, so it’s probably in the cards.
Related: NHL Insider Believes Leon Draisaitl Will Stay With Oilers
Should the Oilers identify a valuable asset like Mattias Ekholm, and it takes the 2024 first-round pick as a central component to make it happen, Holland may pursue the deal. Mitchell writes:
Players from teams who could be struggling at that time? Targets include Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck and defenceman Dylan DeMelo and Kraken right winger Jordan Eberle. All could be attractive options during the season or at the deadline for Edmonton.
source – ‘Lowetide: 5 Oilers assets that could get moved early or late in 2023-24’ – Allan Mitchell – The Athletic – 09/10/2023
The downside here is that trading this pick would mark three consecutive first-rounders departing, following Reid Schaefer and the 2023 pick used by the Nashville Predators. At some point, the Oilers are going to need to restock their prospect cabinet, and if they keep using top picks to secure immediate help, once their window shrinks or ultimately closes, who comes up through the system to play the role of the team’s future stars?
A Future Top-Four Defenseman in Philip Broberg
As Mitchell correctly points out, there’s a lot of buzz circulating among management, players, and media regarding Philip Broberg getting more ice time this season. To many, this is a make-or-break season for him. It’s time the Oilers find out if he can replace Brett Kulak or Cody Ceci in Edmonton’s top-four defensive lineup and how much of a factor he may play as part of the core of this team moving forward.
If he’s not part of the future, or there is a clear upgrade available on the market, it might be time to move him. The Oilers have already shown they prioritize veterans due to their reduced likelihood of making critical mistakes (Duncan Keith and Ekholm to name two) and if Holland can find that player, he’ll likely make a move to acquire him.
The problem here is that Broberg could wind up realizing his potential elsewhere and what could be a short-term fix for the Oilers comes at the sacrifice of a player who supplants himself in another team’s top four for years to come.
A Future Top-Six Forward In Dylan Holloway
Dylan Holloway appears less likely to be traded than Broberg, primarily because there are no significant obstacles in his path to a regular roster spot. That said, he’s one of the pieces on this Oilers’ roster that teams will look at, and think there’s a legitimate chance he should shake free if the return is solid enough.
Due to a lack of past opportunities — partly due to injuries — Holloway has yet to prove any consistency at the NHL challenge lies in his goal-scoring ability and five-on-five performance. Now that he’s getting this shot, the Oilers need him to step up and contribute to their top nine. If he doesn’t, they’ll be looking for an upgrade.
The Oilers believe that Holloway will find his groove at the NHL level. The hope is simply that it’s with this team. If he doesn’t, the prospect of him being a solution alongside someone like Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl then becomes the story of how he exploded offensively with another team’s top-end talent.
