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Trade Deadline Primer: Edmonton Oilers

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With the All-Star break in the rear-view, the trade deadline looms large and is now less than a month away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Edmonton Oilers.

For the second consecutive season, the Oilers started slowly. The team started so poorly this season that it resulted in the firing of head coach Jay Woodcroft after just 13 games. Since their 3-9-1 start to the season, Edmonton has rebounded under Kris Knoblauch with a 27-7 record that includes a near-record 16-game winning streak. The Oilers now once again look like a legitimate Stanley Cup contender and will no doubt be looking to add to their lineup at the trade deadline. The club has already been linked to Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jake Guentzel and will surely be in on some of the other big names in the upcoming weeks. The Oilers don’t have much in the way of cap space and will need to get creative to fill in some of the remaining holes on their roster. But with the uncertainty around the futures of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, they are likely to do everything they can to add to an already formidable lineup.

Record

30-16-1, 3rd in the Pacific

Deadline Status

Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

 $2.374MM on deadline day, 0/3 retention slots used, 46/50 contracts used, per CapFriendly.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2024: EDM 1st, EDM 2nd, EDM 5th, EDM 6th, NASH 6th
2025: EDM 1st, EDM 3rd, EDM 4th, EDM 5th, EDM 6th, EDM 7th

Trade Chips

Edmonton probably isn’t looking to move much off of their NHL roster to facilitate a trade, however, they will likely need to shed some salary to acquire any high-priced talent. There have been rumors in recent weeks that they would like to shed Cody Ceci and his $3.25MM cap hit, and they also have Jack Campbell toiling in the AHL with his $5MM cap hit, but if Edmonton wanted to move on from either player it would require a sizeable asset to move the money out.

The Oilers do have some assets if they want to make a big move, as they still possess their first-round pick in the next few drafts and have most of their other draft capital as well. There will also be interest in defenseman Philip Broberg despite his lack of NHL success. The 22-year-old hasn’t exactly had a seamless transition to professional hockey, but he is having a strong season in the AHL.

Edmonton has one of the worst farm systems in the NHL, but it isn’t without a couple of intriguing players. Xavier Bourgault is not having the type of season he or the Oilers were hoping for with just six goals and 10 assists in 39 AHL games. The 2021 first-round pick is ranked by many as the Oilers’ top prospect and has shown that he is a great special teams player, but his scoring just isn’t there at even strength. He along with Broberg could be pieces of a bigger package to acquire a big-name player. But if they are the central pieces, it might require the Oilers to give up multiple first-round picks.

Another Oilers prospect is Raphael Lavoie whose size will certainly be alluring to teams who are looking for a big center with untapped potential. Lavoie is having a decent season in the AHL with 15 goals and 11 assists in 33 games, but at 23 years of age, it is hard to consider him a prospect at this point, especially one that can fetch to top-6 forward such as Guentzel.

If Edmonton does want to make a splash, it may require moving out young forward Dylan Holloway, who hasn’t found his offensive game in the NHL but does have good underlying numbers and will almost certainly be an NHL player. Holloway has posted good offensive numbers in the AHL but hasn’t spent of ton of time playing in Edmonton’s top-9 and could find that side of his game if given a chance.

One other intriguing prospect who could draw some interest is Matvei Petrov. The 20-year-old has had a slow start to his professional career with Bakersfield this season, and had a terrific, albeit brief OHL career with the North Bay Battalion. The former sixth-round pick has just five goals and three assists in 30 AHL games with the Condors but had 67 goals and 116 assists in 128 career OHL games. Petrov has good vision and hockey sense but is on the lighter side at the moment and could become much stronger on the puck if he could fill out his 6’2” frame.

Other Potential Trade Chips: D Beau Akey, F Maxim Berezkin

Team Needs

1) Top-6 Forward: The Oilers shuffled their lines yesterday and moved Corey Perry onto their second line. While Perry still has a role in the NHL, his days of being a top-6 forward are well behind him. The Oilers have a considerable gap between their top five forwards and all the remaining ones. Therein lies the need for another top-six winger. The Oilers would probably love to get a right shot forward, however, the market may force them to look at the left side which is why Guentzel’s name is being thrown around. If Edmonton can’t land a top-six forward, they could opt for a top-9 forward as a fallback option. Something they thought they were getting last summer when they signed Connor Brown.

2) A Reliable Second Goaltender: An argument could be made for an additional defender, but goaltending has been problematic for the Oilers for quite some time, which is why they signed Campbell two summers ago. Stuart Skinner has performed admirably for the Oilers and has earned the starter net. However, Edmonton would do well to find a solid backup who could take the net if Skinner were to falter or be dealt an injury. Alex Nedeljkovic out of Pittsburgh could be a good option should the Penguins falter and opt to sell at the deadline.  The Vegas Golden Knights showed last year that a team can never have too much reliable goaltending, and while the Oilers have three goaltenders who can play in the NHL, two of the three have a history of seeing their play fall off considerably. Something the Oilers can’t have as their contention window gets smaller and smaller.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Oilers Assign Dylan Holloway To AHL

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The Edmonton Oilers have assigned forward Dylan Holloway to the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL, presumably for the NHL all-star break. Holloway missed nearly two months with a lower-body injury before returning for a brief AHL stint that preceded an eventual recall to the Oilers last week.

Holloway had two goals and two assists in his brief trip to the AHL earlier in the month as he worked his way back into game shape. At the NHL level, Holloway has dressed in 17 games for the Oilers and has been used sparingly in a bottom-six role. He has two goals and a single assist while averaging 11:20 of ice time per game.

Despite the minimal usage and the injury, Holloway returned last week to the Oilers and impressed as he centered the fourth line with Sam Gagner and Connor Brown on either side. Holloway assisted on Gagner’s game-winning goal last Friday against the Calgary Flames and then added a goal on Monday against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Now with the Oilers out of action until February 6th it appears likely that the team would like Holloway to keep playing through the break to maintain the momentum he has built up since returning from injury. The former 14th overall pick might have to cancel his vacation plans over the next week, but he should receive an opportunity to play some big minutes in Bakersfield and will likely receive a call-up sometime during the first week in February.

Connor Brown To Return Saturday And Reach His Bonus

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With the Oilers looking to add to their roster over the summer with limited cap space, they had to get creative.  Since Connor Brown missed most of last season with a torn ACL sustained in the fourth game of the year, he was eligible for a bonus-laden one-year contract.  Accordingly, Edmonton inked him to a one-year deal worth only $775K as the base salary but also gave him a $3.225MM bonus that becomes payable when he reaches his tenth game of the season.

The 29-year-old got off to a slow start and was held off the scoresheet in Edmonton’s first nine games of the season despite averaging close to 15 minutes a night while spending a lot of time in the top six.  However, Brown suffered a lower-body injury a little over two weeks ago, delaying him reaching that bonus.

That will change on Saturday as Brown confirmed today (video link) that he will be good to go against Tampa Bay, meaning he will play in his tenth game and reach that bonus.

Whatever amount, if any, Edmonton finishes under the $83.5MM salary cap will be applied to cover some of Brown’s bonus.  The remainder will then roll over to their 2024-25 cap charges, meaning that the majority of the projected increase in the cap will be spent on paying for Brown’s deal this season.

Brown remained on the active roster for the Oilers during his injury so no corresponding roster move needs to be made.  While Edmonton now has 13 healthy forwards on its roster, there isn’t any benefit to sending one down after the team went into LTIR following the injuries to Dylan Holloway and Mattias Janmark; they won’t be able to bank any extra cap space if they sent their spare forward back to AHL Bakersfield.  In the meantime, they’ll hope that Brown can become the key two-way forward he was back with Ottawa where he had his best three seasons from 2019-20 through 2021-22.

Oilers’ Raphael Lavoie Sent To AHL

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The Edmonton Oilers have announced that they’ve sent forward Raphael Lavoie to their AHL affiliate the Bakersfield Condors. Lavoie did not require waivers to be demoted as he cleared them at the beginning of the season and did not play in ten games or spend 30 days on the Oilers roster.

Lavoie dressed in five games for the Oilers and didn’t record any points. He was utilized in a sheltered fourth-line role with the big club and averaged less than eight minutes of ice time per game. The club did their best to protect the 23-year-old as he took 65% of his zone starts in the offensive zone.

Lavoie has had a terrific start to his season in the AHL registering four goals and three assists in just five games. Last season, the former second-round pick dressed in 65 AHL games for the Condors and posted 25 goals and 20 assists. Given his steady offensive improvement and the fact that Lavoie was one of the Oilers’ last training camp cuts, it is fair to say that he could earn another look later in the season. Particularly, if the Oilers decide to sell off some of the veteran players should the season get away from them.

Lavoie’s demotion may be a signal that veteran forward Connor Brown is ready to return for Edmonton. Brown called himself day-to-day just five days ago which indicated that he was inching closer to a return. He has missed the two Edmonton games since those comments, but the sentiment is that he could be back this week. Much like Lavoie, Brown has struggled this season as he too is pointless thus far.

Injury Updates: Brown, McDonagh, Kastelic, Bear

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Oilers winger Connor Brown took the pregame today but play-by-play voice Jack Michaels relayed (Twitter link) that he wound up being a late scratch.  He’s officially listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury.  Edmonton doesn’t have enough cap space to carry an extra forward so they played today’s game against Nashville short a player.  Accordingly, it makes them eligible for an emergency cap-exempt recall of a forward making $875K or less should Brown still be unable to play on Monday against Vancouver.

It’s worth mentioning that when Brown does suit up for his next game, he will receive a $3.25MM bonus as part of the contract he signed with Edmonton this summer, one that guaranteed him just the NHL minimum.  Any amount of that bonus that the Oilers can’t absorb on their books this season would be treated as a carryover penalty and would count against their 2024-25 cap charges.

Other injury news from around the hockey world:

  • Also a late scratch from the Edmonton-Nashville game today was defenseman Ryan McDonagh. The Predators announced (Twitter link) that the blueliner is dealing with a lower-body injury and that he’s listed as day-to-day.  The 34-year-old has played in ten games so far this season, picking up a pair of assists while averaging exactly 20 minutes a night, his lowest ATOI since his rookie year back in 2010-11.  Marc Del Gaizo made his NHL debut in McDonagh’s absence.
  • Senators center Mark Kastelic is dealing with an ankle sprain, notes Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch (Twitter link). Yesterday, head coach D.J. Smith suggested that the 24-year-old would miss a few games but now stated that Kastelic “won’t play any time soon”.  Kastelic was placed on IR yesterday, meaning he’ll be out for at least a week.  He has been held off the scoresheet in his first nine games this season.
  • Postmedia’s Patrick Johnston relays that free agent defenseman Ethan Bear appears to be on track from his recovery from shoulder surgery and should be ready to play next month. The 26-year-old was injured playing at the Worlds back in May which played a role in him being non-tendered by Vancouver a month later.  While a reunion with them could make sense, they’d need to find a way to open up cap space over the next few weeks for that to happen.

Edmonton Oilers Sign Connor Brown, Two Others

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Per Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, the Edmonton Oilers have finalized a one-year contract with forward Connor Brown. The deal will have a $775K cap hit but includes an additional $3.25MM in potential performance bonuses, coming off an ACL injury that cost him most of the 2022-23 season.

They’ve also added winger Drake Caggiula back to their organization on a two-year, two-way contract with a $775k AAV, according to The Athletic’s Daniel Nugent-Bowman. Caggiula is an impact AHL scorer who also has experience as an NHL bottom-six winger. He spent three seasons with the Oilers from 2016-17 to 2018-19.

The Oilers have also made one more depth signing, inking blueliner Ben Gleason to a two-year $775k AAV contract, per PuckPedia. The deal is a two-way pact for the first year and a one-way deal in the second, carrying a $425k AHL salary in year one.

The Brown signing is a savvy move for both Brown and the Oilers for a variety of reasons. For Brown, this deal gives him the best chance of a quality, productive season to allow him to cash in on next year’s free agent market. A former teammate of Connor McDavid in the OHL, Brown has a very strong chance of ending up on either McDavid or Leon Draisaitl’s wing.

Seeing as those players are routinely two of the NHL’s top scorers (with McDavid expected to lead the NHL in scoring and win the Hart Trophy pretty much every season) Brown is in line to fly past his career-highs in production, similar to what another former Maple Leafs winger, Zach Hyman, has done in Edmonton.

For Edmonton, this move lands them a quality two-way second-line player at a league-minimum cap hit, as most of the deal’s financial value is tied up in bonuses. Given how Edmonton figures to press right up against the salary cap this season, the structure of this contract allows them to potentially push the bulk of Brown’s cap hit to next season.

There likely wasn’t going to be a path for Edmonton to acquire a better player than Brown on the free-agent market. Understanding the team’s needs and limitations under the cap, it’s hard to argue with this free-agent addition.

East Notes: Maple Leafs, Lightning, Sabres

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While the Toronto Maple Leafs did finally win a playoff series this season, a five-game loss at the hands of the Florida Panthers in the second round erased most of the team’s forward momentum and goodwill with the fanbase. Team president Brendan Shanahan and new general manager Brad Treliving seem content to keep the team’s core intact, so any answers from outside the organization are likely going to come through free agency.

The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel today speculated defenseman Dmitry Orlov should be the team’s top target on the unrestricted free agent market, citing a need for a more puck-moving inclined defender to replace Jake Muzzin and Rasmus Sandin. He’ll likely cost more than $6MM per season on a multi-year deal, one that may not age particularly well given he’s already 31, but he showed with both Washington and Boston this season that he can still handle big minutes and big competition with strong results on both sides of the puck.

Among forwards, Siegel listed Connor Brown, Evan Rodrigues, Tyler Bertuzzi, and Lars Eller as potential adds on the open market.

Also in the Eastern Conference news cycle today:

  • Stealing the Ottawa Senators’ thunder from earlier this week, Sportico reports the Tampa Bay Lightning are selling a minority stake in the club to Arctos Sports Partners at a massive $1.4 billion valuation. It’s over a ten-fold rise in franchise valuation in 13 years – majority owner Jeff Vinik purchased the team in 2010 for just $170MM. He’ll retain his majority stake in the team, so this won’t lead to any notable changes at the top of the franchise’s organizational pyramid.
  • The Buffalo Sabres have mutually agreed not to extend their affiliation with the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones, Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News reported Thursday. Per Lysowski, the team is close to an agreement with a new affiliate at that level. Since 2017, two netminders with playing time in Cincinnati had advanced to Buffalo’s NHL lineup: Michael Houser and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.

Afternoon News: Capitals, Howden, Maple Leafs

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Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic wrote a piece today that highlighted the nine forwards he believes would fit what the Washington Capitals are looking for this offseason. El-Bashir begins the piece by shining a light on the salary cap crunch that will leave the Capitals with around $5MM in cap space this summer. That leaves Washington with precious little space to work with, however El-Bashir quickly points out that Evgeny Kuznetsov and Anthony Mantha are both trade options that are finding their names on a lot of trade boards.

El-Bashir feels that Washington won’t target players over 30 given their age and Washington’s precarious cap situation. He lists Tyler Bertuzzi, Connor Brown, Andreas Athanasiou, Ivan Barbashev, Michael Bunting, J.T. Compher, Max Domi, Pierre Engvall, and Evan Rodrigues as the likely targets for Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan. Washington has an extensive group of forwards signed to contracts for next season but have a glaring hole on the right wing. Given the cost and the need I would likely put current Capitals forward Connor Brown near the top of the list. Brown was acquired from the Ottawa Senators for a second round pick last summer but only dressed in four games before suffering a season ending ACL injury in his right knee.

In other afternoon notes:

  • Jesse Granger of The Athletic is reporting that Brett Howden of the Vegas Golden Knights was on the ice for the team’s morning skate ahead of their game 4 matchup against the Dallas Stars. Granger reported yesterday that the 25-year-old center had tweaked a lower body injury in game 2 and tried to play through it but couldn’t. Howden missed game 3 and given that he’s seen a lot of time in Vegas’ top-6 as of late, his return would be a welcome boost if he can dress tonight. Howden had a pedestrian regular season with 13 points in 54 games, however in these playoffs he has three goals and three assists in 14 games. Vegas has a chance to sweep Dallas this evening.
  • Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star wrote an opinion piece today about why former Calgary Flames general manager Brad Treliving checks so many of the boxes that Brendan Shanahan and the Toronto Maple Leafs would be looking to tick. McGran highlights Treliving’s experience in Calgary working in a collaborative environment with former president of hockey ops Brian Burke. Toronto’s future general manager would be tied to Shanahan as well as the board of MLSE, it is a job that is different from some other NHL clubs, however Treliving has worked within a similar structure. McGran also cites Treliving’s penchant for having the guts to make bold moves, Treliving spent last summer overhauling the Calgary Flames out of necessity by trading Matthew Tkachuk to Florida for Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar as well as signing Nazem Kadri as a free agent.

Injury Notes: Hall, Brown, Lindgren

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The Boston Bruins have been the NHL’s best team this season, and one of the major reasons for the squad’s success has been their depth. With Brad Marchand stapled next to Patrice Bergeron on coach Jim Montgomery’s first line, and Pavel Zacha occupying the left-wing spot on the team’s all-Czech second line (next to David Pastrnak and David Krejci), 2017-18 Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall, who has scored 36 points in 58 games this season, is the team’s third-line left winger. It’s an embarrassment of riches for the team, but one they can’t quite enjoy at the moment as Hall is out with an injury.

Come playoff time, though, things could be back to normal. Montgomery told the media today, including Ty Anderson of 985 The Sports Hub, that the current hope for Hall (and fellow injured veteran Nick Foligno) is for each to return to the lineup in the playoffs. Hall last played February 25th, and his placement on LTIR paved the way for the team to acquire Tyler Bertuzzi to further strengthen its forward corps. We have seen injured players return in time for the playoffs (when the salary cap is no longer a factor) such as when Nikita Kucherov missed the regular season for Tampa Bay in 2020-21, so it seems Boston will hope that Hall can follow a similar timeline.

  • Washington Capitals forward Connor Brown skated before the team’s practice this morning, according to the Washington Post’s Roman Stubbs. Brown is around five months removed from the ACL surgery he underwent earlier this season, with the procedure expected to knock him out for the Capitals’ season. While it’s likely too late for him to factor into the Capitals’ season, progress in his recovery is important to note given that he is a pending unrestricted free agent, and despite his consistent performance, his health is likely to be a major question mark as he heads into the open market.
  • Top-pairing New York Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren has been out since February 25th with an injury, and due to the Rangers’ significant salary-cap issues after their trade for Patrick Kane, the team has been forced to play short-handed on defense, unable to make call-ups. The team could be getting some great news, then, as the New York Post’s Mollie Walker reports that Lindgren was a full participant in today’s Rangers’ practice. If he is indeed nearing a return, his return to Norris Trophy candidate Adam Fox’s side would represent a significant boost to the Rangers as they look to make a final push for home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Washington Capitals Recall Sonny Milano, Place Three On Injured Reserve

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As announced in a team release today, the Washington Capitals have recalled forward Sonny Milano, forward Garrett Pilon, and defenseman Lucas Johansen from the Hershey Bears of the AHL. All three players will travel with the team to Detroit for the team’s game tomorrow against the Red Wings.

In a corresponding move, the team has also placed forward T.J. Oshie, defenseman John Carlson, and forward Beck Malenstyn on injured reserve. Forward Connor Brown was also moved to long-term injured reserve (LTIR) after undergoing potentially season-ending ACL surgery earlier this week.

Oshie is out indefinitely with a lower-body injury suffered last Saturday. He is technically eligible to return for Saturday’s home game against Arizona, but without a timeline, there’s no telling when he’ll be back. The fact that he was not moved to LTIR along with Brown is somewhat promising, suggesting that he may not be out for more than a few weeks.

Carlson also left the same game Saturday with a lower-body injury, although his status remains day-to-day. Assuming his injured reserve placement is retroactive, he could return Saturday against Arizona, but the IR placement is confirmation that he’ll miss his third straight game tomorrow against Detroit.

Malenstyn left last night’s overtime loss against Vegas with an upper-body injury. He was recalled to the team in mid-October in the absence of Brown.

After notching 34 points in 66 games last year as a member of the Anaheim Ducks, it was rather shocking that no team signed Milano before training camps started, and it was nearly as surprising when he cleared waivers when Washington signed him. In five games in the AHL, Milano’s notched two goals, an assist, and three points. He could potentially draw into the lineup in Malenstyn’s absence, although the team also had Connor McMichael as a healthy extra.

Pilon, 24, has five points in seven games to start the AHL season, his fifth with Hershey. Johansen, the 28th overall selection in 2016, missed the majority of the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons due to injury and has a goal in six games with Hershey in 2022-23. The team had no extra healthy defensemen with Carlson out.

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