Edmonton Oilers
Insider: Oilers Cast Wide Net, Identify Blue Line Trade Targets
Insider Pierre LeBrun reports that the Edmonton Oilers have made a list of defense trade targets, casting a wide net in terms of need.
According to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, the Edmonton Oilers have made a list and checked it twice coming out of the holiday break and as the NHL trade deadline nears. They’ve identified a handful of names on the blue line market that they think could potentially help them, but they’re flexible considering how well the defense corps has played this season.
LeBrun noted, “…my understanding is by the end of those pro-scouting meetings, obviously one of the priorities will be to upgrade the blue line.” He added, “Now let’s call it for what it is: the Oiler’s blue line is actually better than advertised there are a lot of people that were concerned in that market after the offseason losses.”
He noted that they are 8th in the League goals against and solid defensively, but there’s also recognition within the Oilers front office that the team has been pretty healthy on the back end. He added, “I think there’s probably a recognition that there’s not a lot of depth there if they do start to run into injuries as the season goes on.”
He explained there was chatter in those meetings this week that they put together a list of names regarding the D market, and the idea is to upgrade the blue line if possible. He said, “I mean, obviously, in the perfect world, do you add a top-four? That would be the option, but it depends on the market and the asking price.” At the very least, they would add a depth piece, he noted.
LeBrun then explained, “It’s early in the process. GM Stan Bowman, I’m told, is just really started to make calls around the league now to gauge the market.”
Oilers Are Casting a Wide Net to Find Help on Blue Line
Part of the difficulty is that the entire Eastern Conference is still in the playoff race, but the other thing is that the front office discussed the fact they’re not going out and looking at the blue line market, looking for a very specific player.
“In other words, yeah, it could be a trade, for example, a shutdown penalty killing right-handed D like a David Savard. For sure, in my mind, David Savard is on that Oilers’ list. Sure, that could happen. But the Oilers are just as comfortable trading for a left-handed D who’s a puck mover. In other words, they left those meetings this week saying we can be flexible here because the Oilers themselves as a blue line group have been very flexible this year.”
The Oilers are casting a wide net as they make their calls. “They can go left, or they can go right. They go top 4. They’re looking at everything,” reports LeBrun.
Next: Insider: Oilers Had Other Trade Lined Up Before Adding Ekholm
