The Edmonton Oilers have been flat-out awful to start out their 2023-24 campaign. Their struggles between the pipes and on the defensive end have been the main reason for their struggles, and they will have to look for solutions after a 2-8-1 start. Elliotte Friedman, the NHL’s premier insider, and host of the 32 Thoughts podcast, has suggested the Oilers could show interest in a trio of Calgary Flames defencemen if they are looking to bring in a fresh face and change things up a bit. Those three defencemen are Noah Hanifin, Chris Tanev, and Nikita Zadorov, who all could be beneficial upgrades.
The Flames and Oilers have both struggled out of the gate this season, and it seems like they’re both willing to make changes to help salvage their season. While it’s still early, and things can turn around at any moment, both of these teams have been much worse than many fans around the league had expected. If the Oilers try to bring in a fresh face, it could definitely benefit them as a whole. But they have to be careful not to overpay in either the trade package or the extension should they decide to give any new acquisition a new contract. With all that said, here’s a brief summary of all three players.
Noah Hanifin – 26 Years Old
Hanifin is a left-shot defender from Boston, Massachusetts, who has a $4.95 million cap hit with the Flames. He was drafted in the first round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft by the Carolina Hurricanes at fifth overall before getting traded to the Flames before the 2018-19 season. He played his draft year in the NCAA with Boston College, scoring five goals and adding 18 assists for 23 points through 37 games, and made the jump to the NHL in his first season of eligibility with the Hurricanes, where he scored four goals and added 18 assists for 22 points through 79 games.
Over his nine seasons in the NHL, Hanifin has scored 50 goals and added 194 assists for 244 points through 609 games. He has established himself as a strong, physical, and smart two-way defenceman who can be trusted in a number of different scenarios. He is a pending unrestricted free agent who has seemingly had his contract discussions blow up with the Flames, and he could be a great fresh face to bring into the blue and orange in Edmonton.
Hanifin’s size and experience, mixed with his ability to play a ton of minutes every game, could make him an ideal target for the Oilers. He would be able to breathe new life into the team’s defensive lineup and could elevate the play of the rest of his teammates.
Chris Tanev – 33 Years Old
Tanev is a right-shot defender from East York, Ontario, who currently has a $4.5 million cap hit with the Flames. He went undrafted but made his debut with the Vancouver Canucks in the 2010-11 season, playing in 29 games and getting one assist. He split his rookie season between the Canucks and their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Manitoba Moose. With the Moose, he scored one goal and added eight assists for nine points through 39 games.
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Over his 14-year career, Tanev has played 728 games, scoring 31 goals and adding 141 assists for 172 points, which comes out to a 0.24 points-per-game average. He has established himself as a strong two-way defenceman who can be trusted in plenty of situations, similar to Hanifin.
Tanev is another player that could benefit the Oilers in the sense that he focuses more on the defensive side of the game rather than jumping up in the play and finding offensive opportunities. The Oilers have more than enough offensive-minded defensemen, and a change of pace in Tanev could be exactly what the blue line needs.
Nikita Zadorov – 28 Years Old
Zadorov is a left-shot defender from Moskva, Russia, who has a $3.75 million cap hit with the Flames. He is a massive defenseman at 6-foot-6, 236 pounds and was drafted in the first round of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft by the Buffalo Sabres after a breakout season in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) with the London Knights, where he scored six goals and added 19 assists for 25 points through 63 games.
Over 11 seasons, Zadorov has played 577 games, scoring 41 goals and adding 88 assists for 129 points, which comes out to a 0.22 points-per-game average. He has established himself as a physical shutdown defender that provides a lot to a team’s depth, and he has been a strong member of every team he has played for.
Zadorov is another perfect example of a defenseman the Oilers need. One that doesn’t focus on jumping up into the play and focuses more on the defensive side of the game. He has the cheapest cap hit out of all three defensemen listed above and would likely cost the least for a trade package.
Who Should The Oilers Target?
For a team to go from Stanley Cup favorite to a potential draft lottery team, something has gone insanely wrong, and they will want to fix it fast before the whole team implodes and players start asking to get traded. Fans will be calling for changes if things don’t get better soon. The Oilers already sent down goaltender Jack Campbell to the Bakersfield Condors of the American Hockey League (AHL), and more changes will come if they don’t figure out how to start winning fast.
If this were my decision, I would be looking to move the money for Hanifin. Zadorov and Tanev both offer a ton to the back end, but Hanifin is the more skilled player all around in my eyes. He is more defensively responsible and smarter with his pinches in the offensive and neutral zones. As far as what the return would look like, I believe the Oilers would have to give up at least a top prospect and a second-round draft pick along with a player that will even out the money. Hypothetically, Cody Ceci, Xavier Bourgault, and a second-round pick in 2024 could get it done, and that’s something this team should be willing to pay to salvage their season.
The Oilers will be banking on their team to turn it around with their single move of sending Campbell through waivers. They are back in action against the San Jose Sharks, who might be the worst team in league history, on Thursday (Nov. 9) in what will be a battle of the bottom of the Pacific Division. Oilers fans will be praying for a win because if they lose to the Sharks, panic trades and wrong moves will begin to happen, and that’s the last thing this team needs right now.
