OTP - Who Will Fill The Sabres Top-Six Hole? In a recent article for The Athletic [https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5957782/2024/12/01/oilers-defence-trade-targets-2024/], Allan Mitchell discussed a few potential defenseman targets for the Edmonton Oilers. Buffalo Sabres [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/buffalo-sabres/] defenseman Henri Jokiharju was one of the defenders who Mitchell mentioned. It is understandable that Mitchell sees Jokiharju as a potential option for the Oilers. It's no secret that the Oilers could use some help on the right side of their defense, especially after trading Cody Ceci to the San Jose Sharks and losing the versatile Philip Broberg to the St. Louis Blues [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/st-louis-blues/] through an offer sheet. If acquired, Jokiharju would provide the Oilers with an upgrade over other right-shot defenders like Troy Stecher and Ty Emberson in their top four. He also kills penalties, which could help the Oilers. Henri Jokiharju [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjExMTYwMTIwNjgyMzU4NDYx/usatsi_24660281.jpg] Henri Jokiharju However, how the Sabres' season goes will determine if they elect to make Jokiharju available. After losing four straight games, the Sabres currently have an 11-12-2 record. While things are tough right now, they still have plenty of time to turn things around and break their 13-year playoff drought. Yet, if the Sabres continue to struggle and find themselves out of a playoff spot nearing the deadline, Jokiharju would become one of their top trade chips. Given his reasonable $3.1 million cap hit for his role, he would receive plenty of interest in this scenario.
