Trade coming? Edmonton Oilers looking to deal on eve of deadline
The Edmonton Oilers have already made one trade for Trent Frederic, and it seems like they’re looking to make another.
Goaltending has been the team’s biggest problem throughout the season. Still, it appears that Oilers GM Stan Bowman is comfortable with the tandem of Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard going into the playoffs for the second-straight season.
Instead, the focus for the Oilers’ next trade before tomorrow’s deadline appears to be bolstering the blue line. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reported yesterday on Insider Trading that Bowman has been looking at the defensive market.
“The priority is D,” LeBrun reported on the segment. “They’ve been spending all day looking at the D market.”
There is still an obvious hole in Edmonton’s defensive group that has yet to be filled. Heading into the season, there was concern about who could fill in on the right side of the second pair alongside Darnell Nurse. The team had traded Cody Ceci over the summer and didn’t have an obvious replacement.
As we near the playoffs, nobody has taken advantage of the open spot. Ty Emberson got first dibs but has settled nicely into a third-pair role. Troy Stecher got a long look but struggled with the increased responsibility, and midseason addition John Klingberg hasn’t been amazing there, either.
A few intriguing defencemen could be available on the trade market, including Buffalo Sabres’ Henri Jokiharju, Philadelphia Flyers’ Rasmus Ristolainen, and Boston Bruins’ Brandon Carlo. Could the Oilers potentially snag one of those names before the deadline passes?
When it comes to goaltending, it is starting to seem unlikely that a new goaltender will come into the fold. In a piece written for The Athletic, LeBrun reported that the Oilers do not see a clear upgrade on Skinner currently available on the trade market, particularly with Anaheim Ducks netminder John Gibson.
The team could also use a scoring winger to bolster their top six, but rumours on that front have been few and far between. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman previously reported that the Oilers did have interest in Chicago Blackhawks forward Ryan Donato, but no new news has come to light on that recently.
It was also a bit intriguing to see NHL Network’s Kevin Weekes predict that Pittsburgh Penguins sniper Rickard Rakell would wind up with the Oilers a few days ago.
Another trade seems likely for this Oilers team, and we will not have to wait long to see what that could be. The trade deadline is set to expire tomorrow at 1 p.m. MST.