The Edmonton Oilers could greatly improve their forward group with this trade.
The Edmonton Oilers could greatly improve their forward group with this trade.
The Edmonton Oilers are riding the high that comes with setting a franchise record for a winning streak. For 10 games the Oilers have found a way to win - some were pretty and some weren't.
They all count for two points.
However a team like the Oilers need to take serious consideration towards the money they are spending and what those players are producing. Evander Kane is one player who was doing great at the beginning of the season - but now has fizzled out.
Part of that is due to injury and partially due to deployment. His usage on the power play has been sporadic - primarily because Zach Hyman has become a fixture of the top unit. Perhaps the best way forward is to trade the struggling winger
Tale of Two Evanders
He was regularly seeing north of 17 minutes a night in the first few months of the season. In his first 21 games he averaged 18:27 a game, which is only several seconds less than both his career average and what he garnered last year.
In the last 17 games that has dropped to 16:15 on average. Perhaps more stark than the time on ice comparisons are the point production that has come as a result.
Kane was nearly a point per game player in the first 21 games with 20 total points. He's only gathered five in his last 17 games. After shooting 3.28 shots a game in the first 21 games, he's averaging 2.64 in his last 17. That's not a tremendous drop off, but it's another insult to add to literal injury.
Earlier in the year Kane talked about his wrist not being 100%, and that it would take time to get it to that point. Whether it's his wrist bothering him or something else it is very clear that he is not performing up to anyone's standards as a result.
Which is a bit bizarre considering that his 25 points in 38 games played gives him a 0.66 points per game average - which also happens to be his career average. Maybe this dip is simply one of the ebs and flows of a player during the season. The overall result has been in line with his career average. Maybe this is what he is - a streaky player who is on fire when he's on and ice cold when he's not.
Penguins Offer a Solution
Depending on how things shake out with the Pittsburgh Penguins, they could offer a solution that would work for both teams. The Penguins have played 41 games and have 46 points - three points out of the last Wild Card position.
Jake Guentzel is in the last year of an expiring $6-million cap hit contract. He has 46 points this season in 41 games - 19 of which are goals.
At 29-years old he is three years younger than Kane, and only makes $875,000 more than him. Is there a potential deal there?
Kane is signed for another two years after 2023-24. The value of trading a player with term to acquire a rental (although they could certainly try to re-sign Guentzel if they acquired him) would allow the Oilers to not pay as much to trade for him.
It could be a deal similar to the Mattias Ekholm deal from last season. It could also be as simple as adding a couple of picks (2nd or 3rd rounders) and getting the Penguins to retain a bit of salary.
Regardless of what they would need to add to a deal to acquire Guentzel, it should be a strong consideration for the Oilers organization. They need more from Kane, and if things don't improve soon they shouldn't wait longer for it to get worse.
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