Oilers have trade interest in two Ducks forwards: report
The Edmonton Oilers are expected to look at a lot of different players ahead of next week’s NHL trade deadline, including a couple on the Anaheim Ducks.
Much has been said about Oilers GM Ken Holland’s desire to improve the top end of his forward and defensive groups over the last little while. Names like Jake Guentzel and Chris Tanev have been connected to Edmonton, but they may also be looking at other avenues.
A depth forward or two could also be a target for the team as they hope to jumpstart their bottom six. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported last night that they have shown some interest in a few Ducks players who could help out their third and fourth lines.
“Edmonton, they’ve talked a lot about targets bigger and smaller, but I think one of the things that the Oilers are doing is looking at some forward depth, not necessarily on the top line but throughout their lineup,” reported Friedman.
“I think they have some interest in two players from Anaheim: Adam Henrique and Sam Carrick. I don’t know if that’s both or just one of the two, but both of those names are names that are being linked to the Oilers.”
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Henrique is the more intriguing option of those two players. The 34-year-old veteran has been one of Anaheim’s best players this season, scoring 16 points and 37 points so far. He would slot in nicely as Edmonton’s third-line centre and certainly bring more scoring depth throughout the lineup. This could also free up the team to use Ryan McLeod on the second line with Leon Draisaitl, as the two have shown some good chemistry this season.
On an expiring contract with a cap hit of $5.8 million, the Ducks would have to retain a significant portion of his salary to make a trade to the Oilers work. Considering what the Montreal Canadiens got in exchange for Sean Monahan, the Ducks may be trying to swing a first-round pick in a potential Henrique trade.
Carrick, on the other hand, would be a less impactful signing. He has eight goals and 11 points in Anaheim this season and would probably play on Edmonton’s fourth line. He is outscoring four guys in the Oilers bottom-six (Connor Brown, Dylan Holloway, Mattias Janmark, and Sam Gagner) and is tied with Derek Ryan in points. Carrick is also on an expiring contract with a manageable cap hit of $850,000.
We’ll see where things go, as the NHL trade deadline is less than two weeks away on March 8.