The NHL trade deadline is fast approaching.
And by the look of the Edmonton Oilers over most if this most recent road trip, it can not come too soon.
That and more in this edition of…
9 Things
9. If the Oilers cannot figure out how to defend it is going to be a short season. More on that coming up…
8. Darnell Nurse, easily the most physical defenceman on the Oilers, had one hit on this most recent three-game road trip.
7. Evan Bouchard had a pretty goal and two more assists on Saturday. His 17-52-69 in 61 games had him at least temporarily in ninth place in NHL scoring. Bouchard deserves Norris votes. Just like he deserved Team Canada.
6. Connor McDavid has hit 100 points again. This is the ninth time he has done so. The only two guys with more are Mario Lemieux with ten and Wayne Gretzky with fifteen. That is one Gretzky record I think could eventually fall.
5. The Oilers will live or die with the goalies they already have. Of the two relative newcomers, Connor Ingram has been the steadiest. I know Tristan Jarry has not performed well so far but I believe the sample size is still too small to pass final judgement on the deal that brought him here.
4. It looks like Matt Savoie may be “popping”. Those who have followed the career of the Oilers forward up the ranks say he tends to take time to settle in at each level he reaches. Well, he is now 10-14-24 in 61 games this season. And by my eye, Savoie is currently playing his best hockey with and without the puck. His PK work is among the best on the team. And he is a raw rookie.
3. Mattias Janmark left the Anaheim game early with an injury and is expected to be out longer term. Janmark had been playing through a shoulder issue. If this is that, then surgery could be next for him. At this late stage of the season that may mean he is out the rest of the year. If Janmark lands on LTIR, his entire $1.4m salary is freed up. If the Oilers had waived him, they would have only saved $1.15. I do not want to see any player hurt. But Janmark simply no longer looks like an NHL player. Many are looking for an AHL call-up. But with their bonus structures, more likely candidates such as Josh Samanski and Ike Howard may not fit under the cap unless the club gets “creative”.
2. Like you, I was disappointed Canada missed out on Olympic Gold despite Connor McDavid’s terrific performance in the tournament. Since then, the IIHF has decided that it will stick with 3-on-3 overtime going forward. This, after the Canada-U.S.A. Gold Medal game ended that way. It is really too bad. I believe it’s an awful way to decide such an important championship game in a team sport. Some say that’s just sour grapes on my part. No, I think the 3-on-3 should have in fact have favoured Canada. They simply did not win. The Americans won fair and square. But I argue against 3v3 because I think two truly great teams like that deserve to settle things 5v5…the way the game is meant to be played.
1.Given their salary cap situation, the Edmonton Oilers can probably only make one sizeable move and maybe even something else small by the deadline. And unless the management group sees something I do not, then the best thing they can do to get this team into the playoffs and back in contention for a Stanley Cup is to acquire another top four Defenceman. Someone who can play the right side, although not necessarily a right-shot. A guy who can play alongside either Darnell Nurse or Jake Walman and provide a reliable, two-way game. I do not believe a bottom pairing guy or a 6-7 moved the needle because I do not see any of their existing D-men being ready to elevate into the top four.
So, who is available?
Four names catch my eye and whose names are “out there”. They include Artem Zub (Ottawa), Oliver Ekman-Larsson (Toronto), Justin Faulk (St. Louis) and Connor Murphy (Chicago).
I like the 30-year-old, 6’3 201 LB Zub a lot but Ottawa is still in the race albeit five points out. The soon-to-be 33-year-old Murphy is a 6’4 right shot, and an excellent penalty killer, cycle buster and solid veteran. But he is perhaps better suited to the bottom pairing.
There is a lot of smoke surrounding Justin Faulk. He is soon to be 34 years old. Faulk is a solid 6’0 208 LB. His ability to move the puck is undeniable. But Faulk has long been a bit of an adventure on defence. Having watched the Oilers all season, do you really think Edmonton needs more of the same?
That leaves OEL. He will be 35 in July. The 6’2 190 LB defender was for years a vastly underrated, two-way defenceman on a bad team in Arizona. When he went to Vancouver that did not go well. At all. However, then came a Stanley Cup in Florida and a legit bounce-back ever since in Toronto.
OEL also comes with a $3.5m cap hit and term (UFA 2028). That is good value for the level of play he is currently delivering. And he also has a 16-team no-trade list. Fellow Swede Mattia Ekholm would probably know if his countryman would be willing to waive. An Oilers scout was at the Leaf’s game Saturday.
Is Oliver Ekman-Larsson the perfect player for the Edmonton Oilers? Of course not. And Edmonton is unlikely to be his only suitor. But OEL may be the best D-man available to Stan Bowman.
Sunday is an off day in Edmonton, Monday a practice day. If you look ahead at the schedule between now and the deadline, that may be the best timing the Oilers will find.
Stay tuned…
This article was not AI generated.
Leavins Cult of Hockey
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Bruce McCurdy, 1955-2025.
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