4 Edmonton Oilers players who could be traded at the deadline
The NHL trade deadline is just two months away and the Edmonton Oilers are bound to make a deal or two, but who could they realistically trade off the roster?
To get value in a trade, you’re going to have to give in this league and while the Oilers avoided shipping off a roster player last season, they may have to do it this time around. It’s hard to say who could be on the chopping block, but if Edmonton GM Stan Bowman wants to improve his team, odds are somebody who is currently playing on the team will have to go the other way in a deal.
That is, of course, if a combination of draft picks and prospects is not enough in any deal the Oilers try to make. Considering the team’s shallow prospect pool and lack of a first-round pick in the upcoming draft, that is a real possibility.
So who are the players that could find themselves on different teams after the March 7 deadline? Here are four potential candidates:
1. Evander Kane
If the Oilers were looking to open up a significant amount of cap space, trading Evander Kane would probably be their best bet.
The 33-year-old power forward has been on LTIR for the entire season and is expected to be out roughly two more months following recent knee surgery. He told the media that he still expects to play this season, but that may be wishful thinking at this point.
Even if he does play this season, there is not an obvious spot for him in the current Oilers lineup, especially at LW. The depth chart is very deep at that position with all of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Vasily Podkolzin, Jeff Skinner, and Mattias Janmark taking up spots on the roster.
Finding a trade partner may be difficult considering Kane’s health and high cap hit, but it would make logical sense for the Oilers to at least explore the possibility.
2. Jeff Skinner
If the team would rather slot Kane in at RW rather than trade him when he’s healthy, perhaps it could come at the expense of Jeff Skinner.
Skinner has struggled to assert himself during his first season with the Oilers. He has seven goals and 15 points through 39 games but has found himself as a healthy scratch on a few occasions. It’s far from an ideal situation for Skinner.
He would certainly have some value on the trade market, but a full NMC will give him all the control over where he goes.
3. Derek Ryan
The Oilers seem to have an heir apparent for their fourth-line centre position in Noah Philp, which could spell the end of Derek Ryan’s Oilers tenure as soon as this upcoming summer.
If Edmonton feels the need to bring Philp up earlier, they could decide to take the trade route with Ryan. He has been a regular healthy scratch for the Oilers for most of the season and, even when he does manage to get in, he has not been nearly as impactful as he once was. He has just a goal and five points in 32 games this season and turned 38 just last month.
Ryan won’t have much value on the trade market, but he could certainly be involved in a deal as an extra piece to make salary work.
4. Adam Henrique
Though Adam Henrique has been hot for the Oilers of late, notching three goals over his last three games, it’s been a bit of a difficult season for the veteran.
The 34-year-old Henrique has just six goals and 13 points through 42 games and is on pace for his third-worst season since he entered the league back in 2011. This is a stark drop-off from the 24 goals and 51 points that he put up last season and could be a sign that his play is starting to fall victim to father time.
Outside of the relative lack of production, he has also been one of the team’s slowest forwards and has struggled, at times, with teams that are quick in the transition. He still has plenty of positive intangibles for this Oilers team, but if management wants to get faster down the lineup, Henrique could be a player that they may consider moving.