The NHL trade deadline is just over three weeks away, and the Edmonton Oilers have some decisions to make. They head into the two-week break with a record of 34-17-4 for 72 points, tied with the Vegas Golden Knights for the Pacific Division lead. Despite their strong record and high position in the standings, there are still areas for improvement. However, general manager Stan Bowman doesn’t have a ton of assets to deal with. Edmonton’s three best prospects are Matthew Savoie, Beau Akey, and Sam O’Reilly. Also, they only have one first-round pick in the next two drafts to use as trade bait. Since they don’t have the money or assets to address every area, they need to prioritize their most glaring needs. Here’s what the Oilers should prioritize, from most important to least important, as we approach the trade deadline.
Top-Four Right-Shot Defenceman
Despite the recent chatter about finding an upgrade in net, the top priority should still be acquiring a right-shot, top-four defenceman to play alongside Darnell Nurse. While they did sign John Klingberg, he’s not a number four defenceman at this point in his career given his injury history, especially on a Cup contender. Ideally, he would be the number seven, pushing Troy Stecher to eighth on the depth chart. It’s important to have that depth come playoff time, but this team still needs an upgrade.
Unfortunately, the market for defencemen seems rather thin. Three players that make the most sense are Ivan Provorov from the Columbus Blue Jackets, Connor Murphy from the Chicago Blackhawks, and Rasmus Ristolainen from the Philadelphia Flyers. While Provorov is a left-shot, he can play both sides. However, salary retention would likely be required for all three. Provorov is a pending unrestricted free agent (UFA) with a $6.75 million cap hit, Murphy has one more year left with a $4.4 million cap hit, and Ristolainen has two more years left with a $5.1 million cap hit. With that said, none of these players move the needle enough. Therefore, if they can’t acquire a bigger fish, they should focus on improving the goaltending instead.
Goaltending
At the start of the season, improving the goaltending wasn’t a top priority. However, the play of Stuart Skinner is a bit concerning, so an upgrade might be necessary. Skinner has been average so far this season. He has a 2.74 goals-against average (GAA), and a .900 save percentage (SV%) through 37 games. However, his record against current playoff teams and his brutal play in the first period are alarming. The Oilers netminder has a putrid .879 SV% in the first period this season. In his last two starts against playoff teams, he’s allowed three first-period goals in both. He was down 3-0 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, and 3-2 against the Colorado Avalanche, which led to a goalie change. He needs to be much better and start games on time, because constantly chasing games is not a recipe for success, especially come playoff time when you’re playing the best teams. The Oilers need to win now, so how much patience should they have with their goaltending?
Related: Oilers Need to Address Goaltending Issues Before Playoffs
Unfortunately, there aren’t a ton of upgrades on the trade market that would be an instant improvement. Karel Vejmelka from the Utah Hockey Club would be a solid option. He has a 2.57 GAA and .909 SV% through 34 games this season. He’s a 28-year-old pending UFA with a $2.725 million cap hit, so Edmonton could make the money work. However, Utah is chasing a playoff spot, so will they want to trade him? That remains to be seen.
Another goaltender who’s been floating around the rumour mill is John Gibson from the Anaheim Ducks. He would be a perfect fit in Edmonton if they can make the money work. The 31-year-old netminder has two more years with a $6.4 million cap hit, so salary retention is necessary. He’s having a great season on a rebuilding Ducks squad. He holds a 2.69 GAA and a .915 SV% through 23 games this season. It’s been reported that Gibson wants to be the number one and not work in a 1A, 1B situation, so a Gibson and Skinner tandem might not be plausible. Would you be willing to trade Skinner in a package for Gibson? Because that might be the only way to bring him into Oil Country.
Scoring Winger
The Oilers could use another top-six scoring winger but at the right cost. Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson should’ve been that solution, but so far, they’ve largely disappointed. Head coach Kris Knoblauch hasn’t utilized Skinner correctly based on his skill set. He has 10 goals in 49 games playing in the bottom six. He was recently elevated into the top six a few games ago where he should stay. If the 32-year-old veteran continues to contribute on the second line, finding a scoring winger becomes less of a priority.
The Oilers will hopefully add a healthy Evander Kane come playoff time which will fill that void. Kane has 62 goals in 161 regular season games with Edmonton while adding 20 goals in 47 playoff games. His inclusion will add a boost to this forward group. However, he hasn’t played since last season, so how effective will he be upon his return?
With Skinner, Arvidsson, and Kane’s return, the Oilers should have enough scoring wingers. The only problem is the first two haven’t lived up to expectations. They simply need them to step up and play better. Finding a scoring winger is the most expensive to acquire, so it’s better to have internal solutions and use their limited assets on a bigger need like defence and/or goaltending.
Fourth-Line Centre
Finding a fourth-line centre should be the least of their worries. As mentioned earlier, this team has bigger needs to address and should utilize their limited assets accordingly. This forward group is flexible, especially at the centre position. They can play Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Adam Henrique up the middle if they choose to do so. They can also slide Mattias Janmark to the fourth-line centre role, since he has some experience there. Not only that, but they also have Derek Ryan and Noah Philp in the minors who can play if necessary. This team has options, so an upgrade isn’t urgent, but if they can find one for a reasonable cost, they should explore it.
One player that makes sense is Trent Frederic from the Boston Bruins. He is having a down offensive season with only has eight goals and 13 points through 55 games. However, he had 18 goals last season, and 17 the year before. He has some offensive instincts as proven in the past, but he also brings grit and sandpaper which is severely lacking with this Oilers squad. He has 147 hits so far this season, which would automatically put him first on the team. He would bring much-needed physicality to this lineup, but his addition would be a luxury, not a necessity.
What should the Oilers prioritize this trade deadline, and who should they target? Keep following The Hockey Writers throughout the 4 Nations Face-Off, and down the stretch as we inch closer to the trade deadline.
