The Edmonton Oilers are a very flawed team to keep things short. While everyone was pumped up about the 9-1-0 record, there were a ton of concerning areas that the team needed to improve on. These included the lack of depth scoring and the terrible play of 5v5, especially defensively. The issues stated have been constant throughout the last decade in Edmonton and Ken Holland had $30 million this offseason to clarify these problems. However, most of his bets haven’t paid off and the Oilers are hanging on a thin thread as they currently sit at the second wild card spot in the West. A team with two of the best players in the world, especially in year 7 of Connor McDavid’s career, should not be in this position. The team desperately needs to fill the holes plaguing them, otherwise it will be another short-lived postseason. While there could be moves that could rejuvenate the team (a coach firing), the most likely option to occur is a trade. It’s been reported that Holland is going to go “all-in” this year with the first round pick reportedly made available. The three main targets the Oilers need are: A Legit Starting Goaltender, 2nd pair LHD and a middle 6 winger. I believe I have found the best 10 options for the Oilers to target. I’ll go over what I think the Oilers should give up and at the end, I’ll put together my potential post-trade deadline lineup. (All RAPM charts shown are from Evolving Hockey)
Goaltending:
Marc-Andre Fleury:
In my mind, there’s only one good option for the Oilers to acquire. Marc-Andre Fleury has had a hell of a career. A three time cup winner, a recent Vezina trophy finalist, and, a Ken Holland favourite as he’s a good ol’ grey beard! Jokes aside, Fleury is by far the best option on the block and I don’t think he’ll cost a lot in the end. Fleury on a struggling Hawks team has a 2.86 GAA, a record of 9-10-1 and a .913SV%. His advanced stats aren’t the best as he’s sitting at a -4.6GSAx (goals saved above expected) per MoneyPuck but HockeyReference has his GSAA (Goals Saved Above Average) at a 1.2. Looking at that, it may not be impressive, but considering Chicago started out 0-7-2, it’s safe to say Fleury has rebounded. Fleury is also a UFA at the end of the season and he’ll turn 38 years old next year. He also carries a hefty $7M cap hit. There’s been rumours that the Oilers are in on him and considering the fact that Mike Smith could be injured once more at any point in time, they’ll need a stable #1 if he’s out for a long period. I can see a trade involving Mikko Koskinen, Olivier Rodrigue and the Oilers 2023 2nd or 3rd round pick (hopefully the latter).
Defence
Before you ask, no, Ben Chiarot should not be an option for the Oilers. Will they have interest in him? Probably. But during my research, I’ve found 6 more effective options. Most of them, like Fleury, wouldn’t cost a lot.
Calvin De Hann:
Let’s come back to Chicago. De Hann has had a very meh season. He has a grand total of 0P this season, so you may be wondering why I’d choose him over Chiarot. Well for starters, Chicago will not ask for a 1st round pick for De Hann. Secondly, De Hann has been above-average defensively while Chiarot has been one of the worst in the league. De Hann would not be my first option in a trade but I wouldn’t hate the idea of it if nothing else materializes. An asking price could be a 4th round pick, similar to Kulikov last season.
Brett Kulak:
Brett Kulak is someone that I’ve been watching for awhile. The Stony Plain, Alberta native is a UFA at season’s end. Playing an average of 17 minutes a night on a very, very poor Habs team, Kulak has shown he can hold himself accountable in his own zone. While he may not be the most productive guy, with only 7 points, he’s a guy you can rely on most nights to get the job done. Like De Hann, he would be very very cheap and is one of my top targets if the Oilers can’t get the another Dman. Especially one that I think is their best option available. (we’ll touch on him at the end of this section). The acquisition cost would be set around a 4th round pick.
Nick Leddy:
The main reason I have Leddy here is the fact that he’s a Red Wing. Holland is obsessed with bringing these guys over here. Leddy has been terrible in Detroit. I’d stay far away from him. He’s definitely on my DO NOT TRADE for list. If Holland does decide to bring him in, knowing Yzerman, the price for his pending UFA would be set around a 2nd round pick. Would Holland pay that much for Leddy??? It’s plausible.
Jani Hakanpaa:
The only RHD on my list, Jani Hakanpaa is a defensive beast. The 6’7 Finnish tower is excellent at reducing scoring chances against and there may be some offensive creativity to get out of him. He’s a guy that is perfect for playoff hockey and reminds me a lot like Adam Larsson. Both mean, right shot, physical defencemen that excel in their defensive play. He’s also under control for another two seasons at a reasonable 1.5M. This is someone the Oilers should of replaced Larsson with, instead of bringing back Tyson Barrie. Knowing where Dallas is in the standings, and considering he just signed there. I’ll categorized this as unlikely and more of a wish. If he is made available, I would have no problems giving up a guy like Barrie or a 2nd to make this work. A very, very reliable dman.
Mark Giordano:
Oh man, I’d love to see the reaction if this were to occur. The former flame captain is posting very strong results on a weak Seattle team. While he may be done offensively, his defensive game is still in tact for the 38 year old dman. He’s another greybeard, veteran that Holland would love, but in this case he’s actually good and a UFA, unlike Duncan Keith who’s terrible and has another year left after this one. Giordano, although a former Flame, would strength the 2nd pair and it’d be amazing to see him in the playoffs face off his former team. Elliotte Friedman speculated over the summer that he could see EDM interested in him. I can sense a price of a 2nd round pick and a prospect going back to Seattle.
Travis Sanheim:
Travis Sanheim is my #1 target for the Oilers on the LHD. First, he has a valuable contract. He has one season left after this one, at a fair $4.675M. Sanheim is also twenty-five years old, and on a Philly team who is barely over .500, and with prospects like Cam York and Wade Allison, the Flyers may decide to rebuild and ship off Sanheim who can easily get a nice return. Another thing is that Sanheim brings values with a solid even strength defensive play along with his offensive play. He’s also a Western Canadian which the Oilers love. Sanheim playing over 20 mins would allow Keith to move to the third pair where he’d be sheltered. There’s a lot to like here and I think a price could involve the 1st round pick and a prospect heading back (A Dmitri Samorukov type).
Forwards:
Now the Oilers desperately need more depth scoring, as well, as better defensive players when it comes to 5v5. I have three potential targets in mind.
Jake Debrusk:
Let’s get this one out of the way. We know the Oilers are interested in Jake Debrusk. As an Edmonton native himself, the 2015 14th overall pick has struggled since signing his new deal in 2020. As a rookie, Jake scored 43 points and then potted 27 goals in his sophomore year. However, it’s been down-hill since then. As last season, Debrusk only had 14 points in 41 games. He’s been even more disappointing this year with 8 points in 25 games, 5 of which are goals. A rumoured trade has been a Yamamoto-Debrusk swap. This would be a mistake. Yamamoto is a great forechecker, and contributes to the line-up even when he isn’t scoring like drawing penalties. As well, currently, Yamamoto is on a three game point streak, as he just had a three point game against the Devils and has three more points than Debrusk this season. He’s also cheaper and younger. If the Oilers really like Debrusk, then they should instead try to convince Boston to take Kassian’s contract while adding some value to even it out, like a Lavoie. Debrusk QO is very high as well so it’s possible he becomes a UFA and then the Oilers sign him. I’d stay away from Debrusk for now.
Claude Giroux:
Now, this is a pipe-dream. The soon to be 34 year old Giroux would be an excellent addition to the squad and would be a massive improvement to our top 6 which would allow Yamamoto to move to the third line. The UFA is having a nice season with 27 points in 31 games and like I said with Sanheim, Philly may ultimately decide to sell and their captain will garner a lot of interest. However, I think this is unlikely. Giroux carries a cap hit of $8.275M. Now, the Flyers could retain 50%, but the Oilers would still need to match the salary. Who would we send back? I doubt Philly wants anything to do with Zack Kassian, and there’s no way they’ll take back Barrie (reason stated in the Sanheim part). As well, it’ll cost the Oilers another top prospect and a 1st round pick if they target BOTH Sanheim and Giroux. While I do believe the Oilers should part ways with those assets, I don’t think Holland is creative enough to get something done.
Vladislav Namestnikov:
Here’s a player that will cost dirt cheap. Namestnikov is quietly having a solid season. He’s already tied his point totals from last season with 17. He’s scoring roughly half a point per game and his 5v5 defensive play is solid. With the Red Wings potentially looking to sell once more, Namestnikov, in my mind, is cheapest and most effective bottom 6 player on the market. As well, being a Red Wing, you know Holland will be interested. I’d have no problems giving up a 3rd round pick for him. He’s a UFA at season’s end with a $2M cap hit. At only 29 years of age, the Oilers could also extend him to a reasonable contract extension. There’s a lot to like here but there will be teams like Toronto, Carolina and Tampa looking for cheap depth scorers as well so the Oilers won’t be alone in the market.
Final Roster
Going through all the options, I picked out the three players I think the Oilers will most likely target and *hopefully* acquire: Marc-Andre Fleury, Travis Sanheim and Vladislav Namestnikov. Fleury with 50% retained would be dealt for Mikko Koskinen, Olivier Rodrigue and a 2023 conditional 3rd round pick which turns into a 2nd (most likely based on playoff performance). Sanheim’s deal will have Samorukov, their 2022 1st round pick and a contract back to make the money work (Kassian?). Vlad Namestnikov like I just mentioned will only cost the Oilers a mid round pick. If/when is all said and done, here’s your post trade deadline 2021/22 Oilers:
Hyman-McDavid-Puljujarvi
RNH-Draisaitl-Yamamoto
Foegele-McLeod-Namestnikov
Benson-Ryan-Marody/Sceviour
Nurse-Bouchard
Sanheim-Ceci
Keith-Barrie
Fleury
Smith/Skinner
The third D pair will be a train-wreck but the 2nd pair is immensely strengthen. The bottom 6 also wouldn’t have guys like Shore and Turris on the NHL roster, leaving actual capable NHLers on it. Whetever Ken Holland does, all I wish is for one thing….. DO NOT TRADE FOR BEN CHIAROT!! (and fire Tippett 😉 )
You can find me at @Shae_Nuge93 for more tweets about all things Oilers and the NHL.