Oilers have plenty of options after trading for Adam Henrique
The Edmonton Oilers have officially entered the 2024 NHL trade deadline.
After completing a three-team trade with the Anaheim Ducks and Tampa Bay Lightning this morning to acquire Adam Henrique and Sam Carrick, the question now turns to how the team plans on using their new players in the lineup.
Henrique was the true prize in the deal for Edmonton. The 34-year-old is on pace for a career year and has 18 goals and 42 points so far this season. He has been playing in Anaheim’s top six for the majority of the season, something he will not be expected to do on a much better Oilers team.
The most obvious spot for Henrique would be in the bottom six, replacing Ryan McLeod as the Oilers’ third-line centre. This would allow the team to bump McLeod up to the second line and potentially reunite him with Leon Draisaitl, a pair that has shown flashes of chemistry this season.
The question now becomes how do the #Oilers use their new additions? Does Henrique slot into the 3C and move McLeod up to 2RW? Or the vice-versa?
Can't think Janmark is the team's solution in the top-six. Also, does Carrick knock Brown out of the lineup for good?
— Preston Hodgkinson (@NHLHodgkinson) March 6, 2024
Henrique centring a third line between Warren Foegele and former Ducks teammate Corey Perry is an appealing option. It may be the most offensively capable third-line the team has ever had in the McDavid era. Keep in mind that, while Henrique is having a career year, he has also scored 19 and 22 goals in each of the past two seasons, so he isn’t on some unforeseen goal-scoring binge.
The other option that exists is playing Henrique as a winger on the second line with either Draisaitl or Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. You would think that the Oilers would at least want a look at how Henrique blends with Draisaitl. To do this, you could reunite one of the NHL’s most potent lines in Nugent-Hopkins, McDavid, and Zach Hyman and move Draisaitl down to play with Evander Kane and Henrique.
As much as Draisaitl is known for his ability to score, he is also a brilliant playmaker who has lacked proper finishing linemates when he is not loaded up with McDavid. Being that Henrique is much better at finishing off plays than Kane and Foegele, this could wind up being a good fit.
As for special teams, Henrique will not be able to breach the Oilers’ top PP unit, but he may get some time on the second unit. He will most likely be a bigger addition to Edmonton’s PK strategy, as he was second among forwards in PK TOI for the Ducks, behind only Carrick.
The price was high and you can argue for some of the other options that were on the trade market — and you may very well be right — but the Oilers are undoubtedly a better hockey team after this trade. The team got a lot deeper with the additions, and the roster flexibility that Henrique brings will give the Oilers a lot of options heading into the final stretch.
It won’t take long to see where the team will slot Henrique, as both he and Carrick are expected to make their Oilers’ debut tomorrow night against the Columbus Blue Jackets.