Two top Western Conference teams improved their rosters over the last week, which could pose a potential challenge for the Edmonton Oilers. The Vancouver Canucks bolstered their forward depth with the acquisition of Elias Lindholm on Feb. 1, and the Winnipeg Jets, not to be outdone, improved down the middle a day later by trading for Sean Monahan from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for a first-round draft pick and a conditional third-round pick.
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With the Canucks and Jets improving their rosters, it feels like all eyes are now on the Oilers to see how they respond. Yet, with their recent 16-game winning streak, pinpointing the specific area(s) needing improvement in Edmonton is a bit challenging due to their string of victories; however, some would argue that there is a need for an additional third-line center.
Nevertheless, whenever there’s an opportunity for improvement, a team should seize it and recently, the NHL Network’s David Pagnotta confirmed on Edmonton Sports Talk’s “Hello Hockey” that the Oilers have enquired about Anaheim Ducks’ centerman, Adam Henrique, who could strengthen their center depth.
Oilers & Ducks Have Reportedly Discussed Henrique
Henrique is a 33-year-old centerman, who is in the final year of his contract with a $5.825 million cap hit. He’s tallied 33 points in 49 games and is on pace for a 25-goal season, with a remarkable 26 of his 33 points coming at 5-on-5. Regarding the Oilers’ interest in the centerman, Pagnotta stated:
“Another guy that’s kind of been linked [to the Oilers] is Adam Henrique as well. Versatile type of forward, you put him at the center position, you can put him on the wing. He’ll certainly be motivated to join a contender, but he’s got a big cap hit at $5.825, something like that. Anaheim is going to have to eat half of that salary, whether it’s the Oilers or Jersey or Rangers or a different destination.
So, it’s going to take a little bit of cap gymnastics, but I’ve heard the Oilers have at least enquired or had some conversations with the Ducks about Adam Henrique.”
– David Pagnotta
Henrique has performed well at 5-on-5 over the last few seasons and would be a valuable addition to bolster the bottom six, particularly as the third-line center, which would provide flexibility to potentially elevate Ryan McLeod into the top six on Leon Draisaitl’s wing, should the need arise. That said, there may be concerns about potential footspeed issues, but it’s worth noting, using the NHL’s Edge stats for comparison with the recently traded Monahan, Henrique’s top speed this season reached 21.92 mph, slightly surpassing Monahan’s top speed of 21.52 mph.
Oilers’ Insider Proposes Idea to Make Money Work for Henrique
Henrique has also been strong in the faceoff circle this season, winning 53.4% of his draws and he has consistently maintained a faceoff win rate of over 50% in his last six seasons. Additionally, he can kill penalties and step in on the penalty-killing unit if there are any injuries to the Oilers’ current squad. Overall, he’d be a great depth addition pickup, but where it gets tricky is trying to fit his $5.825 million cap hit under Edmonton’s salary cap.
That said, Oilers’ insider Bob Stauffer explored a method on the “Oilers Now” show on how to make the money work. He believes that Minnesota Wild’s general manager (GM) and former Oiler Bill Guerin could potentially be willing to broker a three-way deal, saying:
“Let’s say as an example, you wanted to get in with Adam Henrique with the Anaheim Ducks. Henrique’s a $5.7 million cap hit, the Oilers can’t take that all on. They would need Anaheim to eat half of that salary, that leaves 2.85, well then maybe Minnesota takes on another $1.45 million in the cap space. The actual dollar amount with that would be about $350,000 that’s usually about a fifth or sixth round draft choice in terms of trade equity at the NHL trade deadline.”
– Bob Stauffer
Considering that, let’s say, hypothetically, the Wild for example is the third team that helps broker the deal to take on the additional salary. In this scenario, the Oilers would only be on the hook for roughly a $1.5 million cap hit and according to CapFriendly, they are projected to be able to fit a cap hit of around $2,373,102 at the trade deadline without making changes or trades to their current lineup. Moreover, if Edmonton is listed on Henrique’s 10-team no-trade clause, he would be required to waive it.
The next question is what it would take to acquire Henrique. Hockey insider Frank Seravalli projects that, because Monahan was acquired for a first-round pick, Henrique is likely to command a similar cost and that it’s going to take a late first-round pick. If that’s the case, the Oilers need to carefully assess whether using a first-round draft pick, along with an additional pick to broker the deal for Henrique, is the best choice for those assets.
Do you feel the Oilers should acquire Adam Henrique if it takes a first-round draft pick? Have your say in the comments below!
