Two Flyers Players the Oilers Should Go After
One thing the Oilers have been criticized for this season is their lack of physicality especially without Evander Kane on the injured list. They also have needs for a defensive blueliner, and a bottom-six forward.
There are two player moves GM Ken Holland can make to fix that. One player is Zack MacEwen who has three goals, five assists including 105 hits in 31 games this season. His cap hit is very reasonable at $925,000.
The other player is Justin Braun. He could easily slide right in as the sixth or seventh defenceman spot and is a veteran who has 32 hits and 35 blocks this season. He is certainly the defensive type of blueline player the Oilers lack. He hasn't scored this season, but that wouldn't be his main priority. He carries a $1 million cap hit.
Braun's main job would be to defend, block shots, and reduce high-danger scoring chances by the opposing team.
Going forward Braun would be just a rental, but MacEwen the Oilers may want to keep around. He is not afraid to drop the gloves, and that is greatly needed for the Oilers to defend their superstars.
It's doubtful MacKenzie Weegar would have gotten away with taking out Connor McDavid's leg if he were on the Oilers' team.
So, how would the Oilers get enough cap space to add a couple more players? By trading disgruntled forward Jesse Puljujarvi and his $3 million cap hit. MacEwen could easily fill the spot Puljujarvi was taking on the roster.
Adding both MacEwen and Braun would cost the Edmonton club less than $2 million.
The return could easily be a fifth-rounder for Braun and third round selection for MacEwen.
If Holland can obtain both of these players before the trade deadline, they could be better prepared when Kane returns from injury and the cap being an issue.
The Flyers are ready to give up assets to receive draft picks and improve their fortunes going forward. They are 14 points out of a wild-card spot, while the Oilers are tied for a spot, and hope to move up more.
Let's see if the Oilers pull off a trade which is not going to break the salary cap and help them in two areas they need improvement.
| POLL | ||
Would adding Justin Braun and Zack MacEwen help the Oilers? | ||
| Yes, go for it! | 37 | 33.3 % |
| No, don't see that happening | 34 | 30.6 % |
| Even if they can get one player, it helps | 16 | 14.4 % |
| Yes, MacEwen is a Kassian type player | 24 | 21.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
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