EDMONTON – Everything comes with a price.
Edmonton Oilers GM Stan Bowman knows the price it takes to build a winner. However, can he make that magic happen with the Oilers like he did with the Chicago Blackhawks?
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As the saying goes, “You need to scramble a few eggs to make an omelet.” So who are the “eggs” that Bowman needs to scramble to make the Oilers a Stanley Cup Champion “omelet”?
Here are three current Oilers who could be dealt to make room for a roster upgrade.
Adam Henrique is the least likely to be traded out of this bunch. However, that doesn’t mean that it couldn’t happen.
One thing that everyone needs to keep in mind is that very few players on the Oilers' roster were acquired by Bowman. Unless a player is one of the captains, I think it’s unwise to think of them as “untouchable.”
Even though Henrique was re-signed this past summer and has incredible utility (he can play center and winger), he should not be ruled out as a trade chip.
His $3 million cap hit isn’t easy to offload, but it's not impossible. The Oilers are currently deploying him as a bottom-six center. This is fine, but his skill set isn’t the best match for this role. He’d be better suited as a wingman for Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl.
Viktor Arvidsson was slow to get his offensive production going this season. However, he has all of the qualities that Kris Knoblauch likes in his players.
With that being said, if a younger and cheaper option were to present itself, there’s a chance that Arvidsson goes to the chopping block.
With Matt Savoie already making an offensive impact, and with Knoblauch praising his defensive game, it’s only a matter of time before they look to move him to make room for an addition.
So much of what happens with Evander Kane relies on his health. He needs to be healthy before an organization decides to take a swing on him. Kane himself would also need to agree to the trade, considering his no-movement-clause.
If he is fully healthy, and his legs are up to game speed, he is a dangerous and impactful player that the Oilers want in the lineup. They don’t want the 60 percent Kane from the majority of last season. They want playoff Kane from 2021-22 when he scored 13 goals in 15 games and threw his body at everything with two skates that moved.
Despite what has been publically said, anything can happen.
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