The Edmonton Oilers are in the midst of a solid stretch of hockey—now winners of six in a row. Whether this team has finally righted the ship after a mediocre first half or not isn’t quite validated yet, but things have looked a lot better for the Oilers as of late. That said, is it worth it for the team to pursue the talents of a defenceman before the trade deadline? We asked, you answered.
Want to take part in Sunday Census polls? We send them out every week on our Twitter at @oilrigEDM. Follow along or send in ideas for the next poll!
Bolstering the defence
There are certainly defencemen available on the trade market and it’s an area that the Oilers should definitely explore. In fact, a few names have been tied to the Oilers already and we’ve assessed the viabilities of some names in depth.
- Reassessing whether Jakob Chychrun is a solid trade candidate for the Edmonton Oilers
- Is Vladislav Gavrikov a potential trade option for the Edmonton Oilers?
- Is Joel Edmundson a worthwhile trade candidate for the Edmonton Oilers?
Be sure to check out some of our previous discussions on these players!
Now, another name worth considering is Luke Schenn, who has also been a player of interest for Edmonton. So with this list, we wanted to know who the fan base wants to see the Oilers pursue to bolster the defence corps. Let’s see how the results panned out.
What the fan base had to say
This topic spurred some insightful replies that we’ll highlight, as there’s a healthy mix of people wanting the Oilers to be risk-averse while hoping the Oilers in fact make themselves better.
Musings on Chychrun
The frontrunner with over 43% of the votes was Chychrun. He can definitely bring a lot to the table, but there’s some qualms about him too. From the replies, this is what @MartiNoNo93 had to say:
So despite being the favourite, his acquisition may not lead to as much improvements, especially with what the Oilers actually need in terms of a better defensive structure. Further, the Oilers might not want to part with the assets to get a player like Chychrun as he could be more expensive than what he’s worth.
Some merits in favour of Schenn
In other replies, Schenn was a popular option for his seemingly low cost of acquisition. Another reply even suggested a Schenn for Brett Kulak trade.
Don’t trade for the sake of trading
One more reply suggested that the Oilers shouldn’t be on the market unless there’s a game-changing player to be acquired.
It very well might be that the Oilers’ current defence corps is good enough. Despite not being the best or even close to the best group of defenders in the league, the Oilers can make up for it with who they already have, and of course their offence and above-average goaltending from Stuart Skinner can carry them in the meantime.
While a Cup-contending team might want to make moves to make their lineup better, the Oilers should only go all-in on a player if the price is right. This is a good and judicious approach that Ken Holland might take come the trade deadline. Sometimes not making any moves could be the right decision at the end of the day too.
Time’s ticking to make a trade
As with any season, the flurry of trades that set of trade deadline mayhem looms closer and closer, and the market prices will start to be set between buyers and sellers. Should the Oilers elect to act sooner rather than later, they might have a better shot as setting some prices themselves or get the first go at some of their most desired targets.
If they wait too long, they might be forced to sit idle when they otherwise would have made a deal. Only time will tell what the Oilers brass plans to do, but in any case and any outcome, the Oilers will do what they think is best to ice the most competitive roster they can.
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