- Oilers defenseman Vincent Desharnais will return to the lineup tonight against Toronto, notes Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link). The 27-year-old suffered a hand injury last weekend against Colorado. Desharnais is in his first season of full-time NHL duty and has nine points along with 96 blocks and 104 hits in 63 games so far this season.
Oilers Rumors
Oilers Linked To James Stefan
6:02 p.m.: Edmonton has made Stefan’s signing official. It is indeed a three-year deal, although they declined to issue financial terms.
5:18 p.m.: The Oilers are one of six to eight teams pursuing top undrafted free agent forward James Stefan and are “closing in” on an entry-level deal, per PuckPedia.
Stefan, 20, was one of many prospects who had his draft year derailed by the COVID pandemic. With an August 2003 birthday, Stefan was initially eligible for the 2021 draft, in which many CHL players, specifically those in the OHL, had their seasons significantly disrupted or canceled entirely. Stefan was one of them, as instead of an important sophomore season with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks, Stefan played most of the season with the Lincoln Stars of the USHL in an unexpected transfer, where he struggled to put himself in draft consideration with 10 goals, 28 points and a -10 rating in 41 games.
Since returning to Portland, Stefan has been a major factor in a top-six role for one of the better teams in major junior hockey. The son of 1999 first-overall pick Patrik Stefan has recorded a point per game or better in three straight seasons but has broken out in earnest this year. He’s top-ten in the league with 48 goals and 99 points, and is second on the U.S. Division-leading Winterhawks behind another top UDFA target, Gabe Klassen. The Laguna Beach, California, native’s +47 rating is also second on the team and fourth overall in the league.
Stefan’s ELC signing age would be 21, meaning his ELC will be a three-year pact beginning next season. As such, he’ll be an RFA in 2027 for whoever signs him.
Oilers Sign Connor Ungar To Entry-Level Contract
11:32 a.m.: Ungar’s deal begins next season and carries a cap hit of $860K, per PuckPedia. He’ll earn $775K in base salary, an $85K signing bonus, and $82.5K in minors salary each season.
11:16 a.m.: The Oilers have signed undrafted free agent goaltender Connor Ungar to a two-year entry-level contract, per a team release Monday. The team did not release financial terms but did confirm he’s been assigned to the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors for the remainder of the 2023-24 season.
Ungar, 22, was surprisingly not signed by any professional team last summer after posting a .925 SV% and 26-7-0 record in 38 games with the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors. A late bloomer, the Calgary native wasn’t a full-time netminder in the major junior ranks until his age-19 season, but he was one of the best goalies in the league during his two full campaigns with the Warriors and the Red Deer Rebels.
With no professional home and having aged out of the WHL, Ungar took his talents to the Canadian collegiate circuit for 2023-24. Playing with St. Catharines’ Brock University, Ungar led Brock to a first-place finish in the OUA West Division and was the only USports goalie to reach 20 wins. In 26 appearances, he posted a .932 SV% and three shutouts.
He’s now secured his first professional home on the heels of that strong showing. While the team didn’t confirm the start date of the contract, it’s likely his NHL deal begins with the 2024-25 season, and he plays out the season with the Condors on a tryout contract. He’ll join a minor-league rotation with Jack Campbell and Olivier Rodrigue down the stretch, the latter of whom is an RFA this summer. Fifth-string netminder Ryan Fanti, who’s spent all of 2023-24 on assignment to the ECHL’s Fort Wayne Komets, is also a pending RFA and seems unlikely to receive a qualifying offer. Ungar will likely replace Fanti’s job on the depth chart next season, either as a backup or third-string option in Bakersfield behind Rodrigue. If his deal begins next season, Ungar will be an RFA in 2026.
Oilers Showed Interest In Extending Adam Henrique, Sam Carrick
The Edmonton Oilers didn’t have much cap space or buying power ahead of the Trade Deadline, heavily limiting the lineup upgrades they could bring in. And rather than fight through the nitty-gritty of the cap, Edmonton instead opted to make one very calculated, and very impactful, trade – acquiring Adam Henrique and Sam Carrick from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for a first-round pick in 2024 and a fourth and fifth-round pick in 2025. Aside from quietly acquiring veteran depth defender Troy Stecher, the big-name buy from Anaheim was Edmonton’s only Deadline move. And now it seems the Oilers are trying to stretch out the impact of the deal, with Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reporting that the team showed interest in extending both of their new faces.
Now, it’s no surprise to see Edmonton trying to get the most out of what they paid for, especially with both Henrique and Carrick set to become unrestricted free agents this summer. But Henrique is 34 and Carrick 32, likely limiting any contract negotiations to the short-term. That’ll be a change of pace for the veteran Henrique, who’s had just three contracts across his 14-year NHL career. What’s more, he’ll be roughly one full season away from his 1,000th game in the NHL when this season ends – meaning wherever Henrique signs next is likely where he achieves that tremendous feat. He’s shown plenty of loyalty throughout his career – playing eight years in New Jersey and seven years in Anaheim – but a looming retirement could leave the 34-year-old considering if Edmonton is where he wants to finish out. There would be no shortage of interested parties if Henrique did hit the open market, though extending him would go far in solidifying Edmonton as a top team over the next few years.
But while Henrique is an established veteran newly exposed to the world of short-term deals, Carrick is on the eighth contract of his eight-year career in the NHL. He’s in just his third full-time NHL season, finally carving out a confident role on the 2021-22 Ducks roster. He’s totaled 22 goals and 37 points across 180 games since then, adding a strong 50.5 faceoff percentage and 362 hits. Carrick fills a lot of the boxes teams look for in fourth-liners, and he’s admirably serving in that role for the Oilers. But after cap retention in the trade, Carrick is contributing just $425K to Edmonton’s salary cap. That’s a great price for an effective fourth-liner, but richer prices could be too much to bear for an Oilers team that could afford space for young players. Carrick likely doesn’t demand much on the open market, but how Edmonton decides to approach his extension could serve to lock up their bottom six.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Snapshots: Bruins, Perry, Johnson
The NCAA free agency frenzy has kicked off and the Boston Bruins could be in the mix for one of the top names, with the Boston Globe’s Matt Porter sharing that the team is interested in Notre Dame’s Ryan Bischel. Bischel has been with the Fighting Irish for the last five seasons, confidently taking over the team’s starting role over the last two. And he’s been tremendous with the opportunity, posting 16 wins and a .931 save percentage in 37 games last season and 15 wins and a .924 in 36 games this year. He managed his high marks while facing an average of 33 shots against each game this season. The performances have earned Bischel plenty of recognition, getting named a finalist for Big Ten Goaltender of the Year this season, after winning the award last year.
Goaltending has been a major sore spot for countless teams this year and any team in need of goaltending depth is likely trying to find out their chances of signing Bischel. That could make it hard for Boston – who already boasts fantastic depth with Linus Ullmark, Jeremy Swayman, and Brandon Bussi – to find an advantage in negotiations. But Bischel’s addition could be aptly timed, with Boston also entertaining trading Ullmark around the Trade Deadline. How NCAA free agency negotiations play out could go a long way toward determining what the Bruins want to do next.
Other notes from around the league:
- The NHL, NHLPA, Chicago Blackhawks, and Corey Perry have reached a settlement relating to Perry’s termination from the Blackhawks on November 29th, as first reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Rather than have Perry file a grievance with the league, the two sides agreed to a financial settlement. Perry signed with the Edmonton Oilers on January 22nd and has since scored five goals and seven points in 20 games with the Canadian club. This settlement marks a success in the Player’s Association’s protection of guaranteed contracts.
- Chicago Blackhawks forward Reese Johnson has entered concussion protocol and didn’t practice with the team on Thursday, per Charlie Roumeliotis of NBCS Chicago. Johnson has been a routine depth forward for Chicago, scoring five points in 42 games. It’s his second season of full-time NHL action, after posting four goals and six points in 57 games last year. Rookie Landon Slaggert is set to make his NHL debut in Johnson’s absence, joining Chicago after the conclusion of Notre Dame’s season.
More Trade Notes: Eberle, Oilers, Laughton
The Seattle Kraken remain open to trading veteran forward Jordan Eberle, per Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, with the Edmonton Oilers emerging as one team interested in a trade. The Kraken have prioritized signing Eberle to an extension, though Seravalli reports that term has become a hangup in negotiations. Eberle has been effective once again in Seattle, scoring 14 goals and 37 points in 58 games this season. He’s on pace to once again score 20 goals on the season – a feat he’s managed in each of his three years with the Kraken, after not achieving it since the 2017-18 season with the New York Islanders. Eberle has totaled 144 points in 219 games with Seattle, ranking as the team’s third-highest scorer of all time and bringing his career totals up to 695 points in 998 games. While Seattle is still hoping to complete an extension, the heat of the Trade Deadline could be enough to see Eberle play his 1,000th game with a new team.
Other notes from around the league:
- The Edmonton Oilers are searching for an inexpensive, veteran defenseman says Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli. The Oilers have already made a splash this Trade Deadline, acquiring Adam Henrique and Sam Carrick from the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday. They now have just $1.0MM in cap space remaining, limiting their ability to upgrade much more. They’ll have to act quick if they want to bring in a veteran defender with the market dwindling, as Joel Edmundson has already been traded and both Zach Bogosian and Nick Seeler each signed extensions with their clubs. Remaining options could include Montreal’s David Savard or Buffalo’s Erik Johnson. Edmonton carries a healthy mix of left-handed and right-handed defensemen, giving them the flexibility to choose whichever player fits their style better.
- The Philadelphia Flyers are planning to revisit a Scott Laughton trade after bigger names have come off the board, per The Fourth Period’s Anthony Di Marco, who shares that the price for Laughton remains a first-round pick. Laughton has become a cornerstone piece in Philadelphia, thanks to his impacts in all three zones. He has 10 goals and 32 points in 63 games this season, after scoring a career-high 18 goals and 43 points in 78 games last year. He’s spent all 11 years of his career in Philadelphia, totaling 231 points in 582 games.
Western Notes: Wild, Oilers, Podkolzin, Foudy
The Minnesota Wild have placed forward Marcus Johansson on injured reserve with a lower-body injury suffered in the team’s Saturday game against the St. Louis Blues. Johansson has since missed the team’s last two games, and will now be out until at least Sunday. Minnesota has recalled forward Adam Beckman from the AHL in a corresponding move.
Johansson, 33, has managed nine goals and 27 points in 61 games this season. It’s his third season spending time with Minnesota, joining the team via trade last season, with Minnesota sending a 2024 third-round pick to the Washington Capitals in return. He also played 36 games for Minnesota during the shortened 2020-21 season. Johansson has totaled 117 career games with the Wild, the second-most he’s played for any team. He has 21 goals and 59 points across those games – bringing his career totals up to 480 points in 894 games.
Johansson is signed through the 2024-25 season, riding out a two-year, $4MM contract extension signed at the end of last season. The new deal will carry him through his age-35 season and carries a $2MM cap hit. His absence will make room for Beckman’s return to the NHL. The 22-year-old winger has been called up twice this season, though he’s yet to play in his first NHL game of the season. He’s instead played 48 games in the AHL, serving as an alternate captain for the Iowa Wild and scoring 29 points. Beckman made his NHL debut in the 2021-22 season, and has since totaled 12 games in the league, though he’s still searching for his first NHL goal.
Other notes from around the league:
- The Edmonton Oilers have sent young winger Dylan Holloway and veteran Sam Gagner to the AHL. Gagner had to clear waivers for the loan, while Holloway maintains waiver exemption. The pair have each slotted into a handful of NHL games this season, with Gagner scoring 10 points in 27 games and Holloway managing four points in 32 games. These moves make both Holloway and Gagner eligible to play in the AHL’s Calder Cup Playoffs. Holloway has appeared in four AHL games this season, scoring four points, while Gagner has played in three games and scored five points.
- The Vancouver Canucks have recalled winger Vasily Podkolzin, after sending him to the minor leagues on Wednesday. He appeared in two games during his previous recall, recording one shot and no other stat changes while averaging roughly 10 minutes of ice time. The two games marked Podkolzin’s first NHL appearances of the season, with the 22-year-old spending much of the year in the minor leagues, where he’s put up 15 goals and 28 points in 44 games. Podkolzin recorded 120 NHL games over the last two seasons, scoring a combined 33 points. He’ll likely serve as an extra forward for Vancouver.
- The Colorado Avalanche have assigned Jean-Luc Foudy to the AHL, just hours after after he scored his first NHL goal. Foudy’s season started late, with the forward grappling with a lower-body injury until mid January. He’s since played in 12 AHL games, scoring six points, and one NHL game. The 21-year-old’s appearance with the Avalanche brings his career totals up to 10 games – with his first career goal also marking the first point of his career.
Oilers Acquire Troy Stecher
The Oilers have added depth defender Troy Stecher and a 2024 seventh-round pick from the Coyotes, per a team release. Edmonton is sending a 2027 fourth-round pick to Arizona in return.
Stecher, 29, has now been dealt at the trade deadline for the third consecutive season. He was picked up by the Kings from the Red Wings in 2021-22 and was sent from the Coyotes to the Flames last season before returning to Arizona on a one-year, $1.1MM contract last summer.
Edmonton is absorbing all of Stecher’s cap hit. They now have just over $1MM in deadline space with one open roster spot, so, as Derek Van Diest of NHL.com reports, GM Ken Holland is likely done with his pre-deadline moves.
In Stecher, the Oilers pick up a veteran right-shot d-man to stabilize their group of depth defenders. He had one goal, five points and a +5 rating while averaging 18:26 per game in 47 contests with the Coyotes.
With nearly 500 games of NHL experience, Stecher will likely battle Vincent Desharnais for a spot on Edmonton’s second pairing, flanking Darnell Nurse. While Desharnais is less of a household name, he’s been considerably more effective at controlling possession quality this season, posting a 56.7 xGF% compared to Stecher’s 47.3 xGF%, per Hockey Reference. In all likelihood, Stecher will factor in as the Oilers’ extra defender when the postseason begins, barring injuries.
Stecher’s departure (and the potential departure of Mathew Dumba) means more ice time for the Coyotes’ less-tested complement of right-shot defenders down the stretch as they face another season without postseason play. Sean Durzi is a natural right shot but has been playing his off-side on a pairing with Michael Kesselring, but could shift back to the right on a different pairing down the stretch. 2019 11th overall pick Victor Söderström, who’s played just once in the NHL this season, is waiting in the wings in the minors and could get called up to shoulder some minutes, too.
Stecher will be a UFA at the season’s end. While the Oilers have just one pick in the first four rounds of the 2024 draft after parting with their first-rounder for Adam Henrique yesterday, they now have five in the final three rounds after picking up a seventh-rounder from Arizona today, which originally belonged to the Bruins.
Former NHL defenseman Jordan Schmaltz was first to report that Stecher was heading to Edmonton.
Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK and The Athletic was first to report that the Oilers were parting with a fourth-round pick, while Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was first to report that a seventh-round pick was heading to Edmonton.
Edmonton Oilers Acquire Adam Henrique, Sam Carrick
2:31 pm: The Ducks have made the trade official per a team announcement.
12:23 pm: The Edmonton Oilers and Anaheim Ducks are working on a trade that will send both Adam Henrique and Sam Carrick to Alberta. With the full trade details before either team has confirmed, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period is reporting that Anaheim will acquire a 2024 first-round selection as well as a conditional 2025 fifth-round selection that can be upgraded to a fourth-round pick if the Oilers win the Stanley Cup.
Although the Ducks are already retaining 50% of Henrique’s salary in the deal, the Tampa Bay Lightning were also brought in to retain 25% of the salary as well, earning a conditional 2025 fourth-round pick from the Oilers in the process. Aside from Henrique and Carrick, Edmonton will also be acquiring Tampa Bay’s 2024 seventh-round selection and goaltender Ty Taylor, who is currently rostered on the Evansville Thunderbolts of the SPHL.
Further reporting has indicated that Anaheim will be retaining 50% of Carrick’s contract as well, bringing his total salary with Edmonton down to $425K for the remainder of the season. Because the Ducks retained money on both players, they no longer have any retention spots available for any remaining trades they may make leading up to the deadline.
With Henrique now in the mix, Edmonton will have the opportunity to get creative in their top six. Understandably, they will likely keep their first line together heading into the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs but now can move either Evander Kane or Mattias Janmark around the lineup to create a more balanced offensive approach.
Speaking of balance, that is exactly what Henrique brings to the table for the Oilers as one of the more consistent two-way forwards in the NHL. Formidable offensively, Henrique has scored 18 goals and 42 points in 60 games for the Ducks this season but also boasts a 52.9% faceoff win rate.
Aside from helping out both offensively and defensively at even strength, Henrique should also be able to improve the Oilers’ pedestrian penalty-kill percentage this year. Centering Anaheim’s top penalty kill unit for much of his tenure in California, Henrique should be able to slide next to Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on the team’s top penalty kill unit or be the focal point of the team’s second unit.
Carrick, on the other hand, gives the Oilers an upgrade to a portion of the offensive unit they have been craving for much of the season. Experimenting with Connor Brown and Adam Erne on the team’s fourth line, Carrick gives Edmonton a more bona fide player to utilize in that role.
In 61 games for Anaheim this season, Carrick has scored eight goals and 11 points in total as well as throwing 137 hits against his opponents. Carrick has mostly played down the middle for the Ducks this season but does give the Oilers some flexibility to move Dylan Holloway to the wing on the bottom line.
With the inclusion of a first-round pick going to Anaheim in this deal, General Manager Pat Verbeek has added yet another top selection for the 2024 NHL Draft, with the Ducks now having seven total selections in the first three rounds of this upcoming summer’s draft. With 11 picks in total for 2024, the Ducks will now have added 20 new players to the organization via the draft in the last two years alone.
In Tampa Bay, even by retaining a total of $1.45MM of Henrique’s salary, they will still have plenty of cap maneuverability to make a big splash come deadline day. Essentially purchasing a later-round pick from the Oilers, the Lightning could use this extra draft selection as a sweetener of their own in a few days.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports images.
TSN’s Pierre LeBrun was the first to report trade talks heating up between Edmonton and Anaheim.
The Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli was the first to report the trade had been completed.
TSN’s Chris Johnston was the first to report that draft picks would be headed to Anaheim.
Edmonton Oilers Place Sam Gagner On Waivers
The Edmonton Oilers have placed forward Sam Gagner on waivers for assignment to AHL Bakersfield, according to a team announcement. Gagner is now in his third stint with the Oilers after signing a one-year, $775K contract with the organization back on October 31st.
Nearing the end of his career, Gagner is on his fourth straight contract paying him under $1MM a season. Primarily used as nothing more than a bottom-six forward, Gagner continues to add decent value to whichever organization he finds himself in.
In his last full season back in 2021-22 with the Detroit Red Wings, Gagner put together a 13-goal, 31-point performance over 81 games, finishing seventh on the team in scoring while playing on a one-year, $850K contract. However, it was not enough to earn him a raise on the free agent market, as Gagner had to wait until September 2nd to sign a one-year league minimum contract with the Winnipeg Jets.
Unfortunately, Gagner was used sparingly by the Jets as he only averaged a little more than 12 minutes of ice time per game. Scoring eight goals and 14 points in 48 games, Gagner had his season cut short on March 16th after going down with a hip injury.
Now back in Edmonton for the first time since the 2019-20 season, Gagner got off to a hot start, scoring five goals and 10 points in his first 20 games. Unfortunately, Gagner has now gone scoreless in his last seven games, seeing his average ice time drop by a full minute. With 12 other forwards currently on the active roster, the Oilers are likely preferring more cap space leading up to the deadline rather than Gagner’s recent play.