The Edmonton Oilers have been crumbling from within since the beginning of the season. With the mind-boggling decision to fire Jay Woodcroft and Dave Manson, who were the best coaches the Oilers have had since Glen Sather, the team has seemingly accepted they’re a dumpster fire and are ready to make some changes, even if they’re not the right ones.
With a 3-9-1 record early in the season, the Oilers are lucky there is lots of time left to rebound from this brutal start and still be successful under their new coaching staff. Unfortunately though, the team will likely still need a few moves before they get over the hump of being just a playoff team. They have the roster to get to the postseason but they don’t have the team to win a championship. They need to upgrade defensively and in between the pipes, so hopefully, they make a move sooner rather than later.
Related: Rishaug Suggests Oilers Could Show Interest In Yaroslav Askarov
One name that has hit the trade rumour mill recently is Calgary Flames’ defenceman Nikita Zadorov, who has officially requested a trade from the team. While he’s a big body that plays a huge physical game, he’s not someone the Oilers should be interested in for a number of reasons.
There’s the rivalry between the two teams that would lead to the Oilers having to overpay in a trade, there is not really a solid spot in the lineup for Zadorov right now and with how his agent has been openly upset with his ice time, it’s only fair to assume he would want top-pairing minutes in Edmonton, and he won’t be getting that. Lastly, he would just be another contract that the Oilers regret paying for because he is not a $3.75 million defender.
Who Is Zadorov & Are There Better Options?
Zadorov is a 28-year-old defenceman from Moskva, Russia currently with the Flames. He was drafted in the first round of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft by the Buffalo Sabres at 16th overall after a strong showing in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) with the London Knights. He got his first taste of NHL action in the 2013-14 season scoring one goal in seven games with the Sabres, but played the majority of the season with the Knights after being reassigned there. The same season, he represented his home country at the World Junior U20 Championship scoring four goals and five points through seven games.
Since then, Zadorov played with the Colorado Avalanche and the Chicago Blackhawks before joining the Flames. In 580 games throughout his career, he has scored 42 goals and added 89 assists for 131 points which comes out to a 0.23 points-per-game average. While he never was an offensive-minded defenceman, he built a reputation as a strong and physical player who could shut the play down in the defensive zone and on the penalty kill.
While Zadorov is a strong player, he’s not worth his contract. The trade request he’s made along with statements made by his agent, shows he isn’t happy with his ice time with the Flames and would like a chance at a bigger role elsewhere. Unfortunately, he’s really not much more than a bottom-four defenceman, even if he thinks he is. With the Oilers, he wouldn’t be anything more than a bottom-pairing defender, and considering he’ll likely disagree, they shouldn’t try and trade for him.
There are better options around the league if the Oilers want to try and upgrade on the point. Brett Pesce and Tony DeAngelo with the Carolina Hurricanes, Andrew Peeke with the Columbus Blue Jackets, and Radko Gudas with the Anaheim Ducks could all be potential options for the Oilers if their respective teams struggle near the trade deadline and are all better defencemen than Zadorov. For the Hurricanes though, they could consider moving a defender to grab a forward since they have seven defencemen that can play in the NHL in their rotation, and all of them have trade value.
What Happens Next With The Oilers?
The Oilers hope the hiring of Kris Knoblauch as their head coach as well as legendary defenceman Paul Coffey as the new assistant coach will be enough of a spark to turn the team around and turn them into the winners they were expected to be at the beginning of the season. While I don’t believe firing Woodcroft was the right move, Knoblauch seems like a logical replacement and has earned this job. Hopefully, he can be the difference maker.
The Oilers are back in action tonight (Nov. 13) in a matchup against the New York Islanders. They are coming off a win against the Seattle Kraken and are hoping to begin a winning streak that will push them up the standings and hopefully out of this early-season slump.