Analyst lists Oilers top three trade targets for defencemen at trade deadline
After trading Cody Ceci and losing Philip Broberg to an offer sheet, the Edmonton Oilers defence core for next season is looking like a clear weakness that they'll have to address in trade.
Early on this season and up until the trade deadline, the Oilers will likely be trying to acquire a right handed top four defenceman. Analyst Allan Mitchell with the Athletic listed three defenceman the Oilers should target in trades this year.
The first is 28 year old Artem Zub from the Ottawa Senators. Signed to a contract for the next three years at $4.6M, Zub wouldn't be a rental, but a long term piece for the Oilers. He's had great success playing top pairing minutes in a shutdown role on a Senators team that can't find a way to win. Last season he scored 25 points in 69 games, but most impressively had a +5 rating on a bottom 10 team in the NHL. Mitchell believes that if the Senators fall out of contention again this year and are looking to shake things up, Zub would be available for trade an a perfect fit for the Edmonton Oilers.
Second, Mitchell identified Montreal Canadiens defenceman Justin Barron as a potential target. The 22 year old first round draft pick has played 94 career NHL games, but with promising results that Mitchell believes would be worth an investment in trade. Barron has shown to be quality two play player for a tall right shot defenceman, but is still buried on the 3rd pairing for the Canadiens. If the Habs feel like he's blocked and no longer a part of their future, the Oilers making an offer for Barron could be a good move for the present and future.
In a separate piece, Mitchell quickly mentioned Henri Jokiharju as another potential acquisition. The 25 year old former first round pick as produced promising results on extremely poor Sabres teams, including really breaking out last year. He's owed $3.5M for only this season before he's a restricted free agent.
Finally, the most ideal trade target and potentially the best fit for the team may not even be available to the Oilers specifically. Mitchell has joined multiple other sources to list Rasmus Andersson from the Calgary Flames as the best trade target. He can reliably play top pairing minutes and is only being paid $4.5M for the next two seasons, but the Flames may not be willing to deal with Edmonton. Last season the Oilers were heavily interested in Chris Tanev, but Craig Conroy and the Calgary Flames weren't willing to see him dealt to their most bitter rivals. Maybe a massive offer for Andersson sways the Flames this time, but Mitchell says they're unlikely to do business.
Any of trade options would certainly fill the hole on the Oilers second pairing, which will be their greatest need this year while trying to take of unfinished business and win the Stanley Cup.
All player stats and salary information: PuckPedia
| POLL | ||
Who should the Oilers trade for at defence this season? | ||
| Rasmus Andersson | 93 | 45.1 % |
| Artem Zub | 35 | 17 % |
| Henri Jokiharju | 13 | 6.3 % |
| Other/ See Results | 65 | 31.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
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