The Oilers have no shortage of options as they peruse the trade market for defencemen.
The Oilers have no shortage of options as they peruse the trade market for defencemen.
Another defender is off the market.
With the Anaheim Ducks sending Cam Fowler to St. Louis on Saturday, there's now one fewer target out there for the Oilers to bolster their blueline. With that in mind, now is a good time to survey the trade market and see who's still available.
The Oilers' situation has changed since we last checked in on their trade options. Brett Kulak has taken a huge leap forward, graduating from third-pair stalwart to legit top-four option, averaging just under 20 minutes per game and solidifying the middle of the lineup next to Darnell Nurse.
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That leaves the Oilers free to pursue more marginal upgrades at the bottom of the lineup, where prices are lower and options more plentiful, while still leaving open the possibility of going after a bigger fish.
LHD Marcus Pettersson, PIT
Kulak's emergence aside, Pettersson should still be at the top of the Oilers' wish list. The 6'5 Swede is a legitimate top-four defenceman, serving mostly as the defensive conscience on a pairing with Erik Karlsson in Pittsburgh.
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With the Penguins season already a lost cause, they're already fielding calls on the pending UFA, and the Oilers and Canucks are both heavily involved. If the Oilers really want to take a big swing, Pettersson would be a perfect fit either next to the similarly built Nurse or on a shutdown third pairing with Ty Emberson. That being said, they'll want to avoid getting sucked into a bidding war with the Canucks, and therefore might set their sights a little lower.
RHD David Savard, MTL
The one thing NHL GMs prioritize over almost everything else at the trade deadline is playoff experience. If that experience comes with size and defensive acumen, most GMs will fall all over themselves to acquire it. Enter David Savard.
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The veteran defenceman has already been a part of one deadline deal when the Tampa Bay Lightning acquired him for their 2021 Stanley Cup run. The big, physical Savard has been an important leader on a young Montreal Canadiens squad for the past few years and has been mentioned as a possible Oilers trade target before. He'll certainly be traded somewhere as a pending UFA.
But Savard has also had a rough go of it in recent years. The Canadiens have been notably worse with him on the ice for three years running, and the 34-year-old might just be nearing the end of his rope. He'd be exclusively a third-pair option in Edmonton, and despite his physicality and experience might not represent an upgrade over the incumbent Troy Stecher.
RHD Henri Jokiharju, BUF
An important skill for NHL GMs is being able to capitalize on teams in crisis. The Buffalo Sabres are certainly in crisis and should be prepared to trade just about anything that isn't nailed down. A contender like the Oilers is in the perfect position to swoop in and rescue an intriguing young player like Jokiharju.
The 25-year-old Jokiharju is, first and foremost, a puck-mover. He can skate pretty well and make a good first pass, and he'll chip in on offence without sacrificing too much on defence. Play him with Ty Emberson and you have a very mobile bottom pair that can quickly and efficiently exit the zone and keep the play out of their own end.
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His development has stalled out a bit in Buffalo, but he's playing behind a stacked defence corps on a team where just about everyone's development has stalled out. He's a perfect candidate for sheltered minutes on an elite team, where his play could really blossom outside of the frankly depressing confines of Buffalo.
Better yet, he'd come cheap as a reclamation project, leaving the Oilers enough assets to go after a forward at the trade deadline.
Whether the Oilers want a real needle mover, a steady veteran leader, or an under-the-radar upside play, they'll be able to find some kind of upgrade on the blueline. Suffice it to say, they have options, and these three examples only scratch the surface. Thanks to the emergence of Brett Kulak and Darnell Nurse's incredible bounceback season, the Oilers can be as aggressive or as passive as they want.
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