Edmonton Oilers still targeting defenceman ahead of trade deadline, per report
During a recent episode of insider trading on TSN, Pierre LeBrun gave the fan base and others a glimpse of what the Edmonton Oilers are looking for when it comes to a defenseman at the March trade deadline.
Oilers scouring league for defensive help
Lebrun thinks the Oilers will head towards a shutdown player who will give them minutes on the penalty kill rather than go with a Mattias Ekholm or high-profile defenseman as the Oilers are cap limited and would require surgery to the line up to make a deal happen.
It's also worth noting that the Oilers have been playing some of the best hockey this year and have gone on a great run which has helped them turn their season around and are now comfortably in a playoff spot in the Pacific division.
Some defenseman have been linked to the Oilers including David Savard of the Montreal Canadiens and Ivan Provorov of the Columbus Blue Jackets
Oilers took a gamble on signing defesneman John Klingberg
General manager Stan Bowman chose to take a risk and signed unrestricted free agent John Klingberg last week to see if the veteran defenseman can play after undergoing invasive hip resurfacing surgery like the surgery Patrick Kane had done.
Klingberg is currently working with the team as the Oilerswill have plenty of time to evaluate and get him into games as the team will begin their six game homestand.
The 32 year old has been working with a junior team for a month prior to his signing and the Oilers feel that he may be a great pick up for $1,000,000 prorated.
Klingberg's addition could be a huge payoff for the Oilers as he is a right-handed shot and costs pennies on the dollar compared to other defensemen of his caliber.
But if he fails, Bowman will continue to look and prepare to acquire another defenseman.
