Oilers considering reunion with two former defencemen: report
The Edmonton Oilers could be welcoming back a familiar face on their blue line before the 2024-25 season gets underway.
The Oilers have a hole to fill on the blue line following the departures of Philip Broberg and Cody Ceci, and are considering some free-agent defencemen, right-handed ones in particular, to fill the void.
This afternoon, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli mentioned three that management has a high interest in, two of which are former Oilers.
UFA Update: #Oilers are perusing the market for right-shot D, including Justin Schultz, Tyson Barrie and Kevin Shattenkirk, among others.
Also, Max Pacioretty has firm offers in-hand from at least three teams, the veteran forward expected to make a decision soon.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) August 23, 2024
Seeing Tyson Barrie’s name linked doesn’t come as much surprise, as Dustin Nielson from Edmonton Sports Talk reported earlier in the week that the Oilers had an interest in bringing him to camp on a professional tryout offer (PTO). The 33-year-old spent parts of three seasons in Edmonton from 2020 to 2023, registering 25 goals and 132 points over 190 games.
There have been some whispers online about a potential Justin Schultz reunion online as well, given that he is one of the best right-handed blue liners that remains available. The 34-year-old spent the first four seasons of his career as an Oiler from 2012 to 2016, and has since spent time with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, and Seattle Kraken.
The final name mentioned by Seravalli is Kevin Shattenkirk. The 35-year-old was once regarded as one of the NHL’s better offensive defencemen, but has played a much smaller role for numerous teams over the past few seasons. He spent the 2023-24 campaign with the Boston Bruins, registering six goals and 24 points in 61 games.
While the Oilers could look to sign or perhaps bring one of the three to camp on a PTO, they may also elect to enter the 2024-25 season with the blue line they currently have and look for an upgrade via trade. Several defencemen couldĀ be on the move before the trade deadline, including yet another former Oiler, Adam Larsson.
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