Analyst Names 7 Potential Trade Targets For Edmonton Oilers

Preston Hodgkinson of the Daily Hive recently compiled a list of every defenceman the Oilers have been connected to so far this year. The list includes: Dante Fabbro, Rasmus Andersson, Connor Murphy, Henri Jokiharju, Ivan Provorov, Rasmus Ristolainen, and David Savard.

The best option of the bunch is probably Rasmus Andersson, the 30 year old top pair defender from the Calgary Flames who's posted consistently great results his whole career. The only problem will be the Flames willingness to deal with the Oilers in a trade, as their rivalry may make it a non-starter.

Ivan Provorov and Rasmus Ristolainen fit in the category of the more expensive options, who may not actually be perfect fits for the roster. Both defenceman have struggled to produce great analytics results in recent years, but are still trusted to play 20 minutes a night for their teams. That experience could be valuable to the Oilers, and both players will likely be available for trade.

Dante Fabbro is a quality young defender from the Nashville Predators who could be a quality option for Edmonton, if the Predators decide to sell off assets this year. The Oilers have also been connected to Alexandre Carrier in the past, Ekholm's former defence partner in Nashville.

The rest of the candidates are top 4 defenders on rebuilding teams, but may not move the needle enough for the Oilers. It should be a major priority for the team to fix their top four this year, after it was caved in during the playoffs last year. They need to hit a home run with their defence trade if they truly want to believe themselves to be a Cup Contender.