Oilers Lost Promising Defender With Fumbled Trade

Ken Holland didn't know it at the time, but the Edmonton Oilers lost out on a defender who would be a perfect fit today.

Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports - Oilers Lost Promising Defender With Fumbled Trade

EDMONTON -- Ken Holland did a lot for the Edmonton Oilers.

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In five years he took a team that was in the bottom third of the NHL and raised them up, culminating in losing the Stanley Cup Final in seven games. It was a long road to get to the Cup Final, which had plenty of ups and downs.

One of those downs for Holland was the Andreas Athanasiou trade. For those who can't recall, the Oilers traded two second round picks (one in 2020 and one in 2021) and Sam Gagner to the Detroit Red Wings for Athanasiou and Ryan Kuffner.

It seemed like a worthwhile gamble at the time. Athanasiou was a player that Holland knew well from his tenure with the Red Wings. At that point in the season he had collected 24 points in 46 games.

Athanasiou played nine games from February 24th till the end of the season. He recorded two points and averaged 12:19 a game.

Then the play-in round happened during the season when Covid struck. He played all four games, averaged 10:58 a game and failed to register a single point. Athanasiou was on the last year of his deal and took his game to the Los Angeles Kings the following season.

Adding insult to injury, was who one of those second round picks turned out to be.

The 2020 second round pick was traded to the Kings. They selected Brock Faber 45th overall. He was shipped to the Minnesota Wild alongside a first round pick for Kevin Fiala.

Last year Faber was a Calder Trophy Finalist, losing out to Connor Bedard. The 21-year old right-handed defenseman played all 82 games in 2023-24. He recorded 47 points, averaged 24:58, and played more against elite competition than any other defender on the Wild's roster.

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They say you need to crack a few eggs to make an omelette. This is one egg I bet Holland had wished he scrambled instead.

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