Oilers GM Ken Holland makes a bizarre statement on Sam Gagner

Holland admits that he's solely sending down Gagner for cap space purposes, recognizing that he's a fan-favourite player but explaining that the decision is necessary. It's still questionable however, as Gagner has been an incredibly secondary scorer in limited minutes this season, much more so than other players. It's not his popularity, but his skill that demands him in the lineup. Since Corey Perry entered the Oilers lineup, Coach Knoblauch is clearly looking for a different fit than Gagner, who's been a consistent healthy scratch.

So while Holland says it can't be a popularity contest with Gagner, he also relents to not upgrade the defence because Cody Ceci is liked in the locker room. We'll have to see how it plays out, but the smart thing to do is to ice the best roster possible in the playoffs, not try to maintain locker room chemistry. While the Oilers rivals in Vegas, Vancouver, and Winnipeg made big moves, the Oilers had the most underwhelming deadline for a year in McDavid's prime.

Regardless of their trade deadline moves though, this team has proven it has the talent and consistency to make a run in the playoffs - bow they just need to complete it.