Ken Holland Reportedly Blown Away After Inquiring About a Defensemen's Asking Price

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Ryan Hall
February 22, 2023 (9:10)

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With the trade deadline looming on March 3rd which happens to be only 10 days away, numerous players' names have appeared in Oilers' rumours. One such player happens to be defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The 27-year-old defenseman has been having a decent season with a modest three goals, 7 assists and 10 points. The story of him happens to be his size and the style of game he plays. He stands at 6 foot three and is 221 pounds he appears to shoot left.

On paper, this defenseman should be on General manager Ken Holland's radar as the Oilers lack depth on the left side of their defence corps. They currently hold only beleaguered defensemen, Darnell Nurse and Brett Kulak.

According to Dave Magnotta of The Fourth Period, Holland and his management team feel that a first-round draft choice is too high 4 this rental. He also feels that the Blue Jackets and the Bruins have already made a deal and are waiting for the trade call.

During his time as general manager of the Detroit Red Wings, Holland was known as GM who never really parted with his draft choices, especially his top three rounds. He prefers to draft defensemen and groom them into stars. The only trouble with that is the Oilers require a win-now scenario, especially with Connor McDavid working his way through his contract.

It remains to be seen whether Holland will make this deal or another one like it during this tough stretch with his cap hits crippling his moves.