The Edmonton Oilers could make a trade on their defense to bring back a younger and faster defender onto their team.
The Edmonton Oilers are hunting down a playoff position. They are in the midst of a six-game winning streak - while also being two games into a six-game homestand to open December.
The Oilers should be looking to get better and faster. There is a defender available right now who would be a great player to add to the already solid Oilers defense corps.
Ethan Bear is closing in on a return to the NHL after a shoulder injury prevented him from beginning the year on time. His rehab has gone well and he is narrowing his search for a team.
Elliotte Friedman on Saturday Headlines on Hockey Night in Canada said, "It looks as if Ethan Bear is getting close to resuming his NHL career or at least picking a team that he's going to do it with...there's a number of clubs that suspect that the Washington Capitals have made a strong bid here -- nothing official at this time but it is believed the Capitals have made a legitimate run at him."
I'm not sure what "a legitimate run" actually means, but if Bear is looking at returning then the Oilers should definitely be talking to his representatives.
He left the team in a trade to acquire forward Warren Foegele. At the time of the trade he was experiencing a down year - one derailed by injury and Covid-19.
Bear wasn't far removed from being a steady fixture on the Oilers blueline. In the 2019-20 season (the Covid shortened season) he played 71 games for the Oilers. He averaged 21:58 of time on ice with 1:52 on the penalty kill on average per game.
Last year with the Vancouver Canucks he posted some great metrics, especially defensively. According to Evolving Hockey he was above average in expected goals against per 60 minutes (xGA/60) and Corsi Against per 60 minutes (CA/60).
To make room for Bear the Oilers would need to create some cap space. A trade involving Foegele or Cody Ceci would most likely need to be made to achieve this.
Despite this type of move being good for the team, I doubt it happens. If I were a betting man, I'd say the Oilers look for someone more established to trade for closer to the trade deadline.
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