As per Darren Dreger of TSN, the Edmonton Oilers want to upgrade their defense and while they aren’t panicking, could make a trade.
According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, [h/t @Kgill39] the Edmonton Oilers are still looking around the trade market and may try to make a move sooner rather than later. He reports there isn’t panic in Edmonton about their defense, but there is concern. He believes that there is a chance that the Oilers may pull the trigger early in acquiring a defenceman.
Part of the reason Dreger might be thinking a trade is close is because of the break the Oilers have between games. There is a lot of time to talk to GMs. The Oilers don’t play again until Friday when they take on the Utah Hockey Club.
This need to find a defenseman shouldn’t shock most fans as the Oilers’ blue line has been an area of concern since the summer. Philip Broberg, Cody Ceci, and Vincent Desharnais left the team and Ty Emberson came back, along with some depth defensemen in Troy Stecher and Josh Brown. Travis Dermott made the team off of a PTO, but none have played regular minutes beyond Emberson.
The Oilers sit at fourth in the Pacific with an 11-9-2 record. They certainly could have a better record, but the sky isn’t falling.
What’s Out There for the Oilers?
The choices in the market aren’t plentiful. David Jiricek has been linked to the Oilers out of Columbus, but Elliotte Friedman said he didn’t see a fit there. Ivan Provorov is another name that could be acquired, but what is the ask and how significant of an upgrade is he? Marcus Pettersson is in the rumor mill out of Pittsburgh, but again, the price and the upgrade factor into the discussion.
What the Oilers really want is an obvious upgrade that will make an impact. This has to be a player that clearly makes the top four better and that could mean waiting for the market to present more options.
Part of the reason the Oilers might not be panicking is because they know that teams will eventually start selling and the players who could be dealt in trades at the deadline might see the Oilers as a viable option. If that happens, those players with trade leverage will limit their respective team’s options and drive the prices down.
