One of the biggest targets of the Edmonton Oilers at the trade deadline is an upgrade at right defence. Ideally, a shutdown defender who can be a compliment to eventual defensive partner Darnell Nurse‘s game and one who provides a different style of play compared to the team’s top right defender in Evan Bouchard, who has a much more offensively inclined game.
The need for this physical, shutdown defender stems from the type of hockey that will be anticipated in the playoffs. The Oilers will require a gritty defender to play hard in front of the net, block shots, hit and wear down the opponents, and eat the tough matchups and minutes. It’s just one way that the team can try to counter the style of opponent that got the best of them in last year’s playoffs, being the Vegas Golden Knights.
One of the players identified and linked to the Oilers for a majority of this season is Calgary Flames defender Chris Tanev. He fits the mould of what the team needs almost perfectly. And his style of play would be a huge boost to the lineup down the stretch and into the postseason.
Are the Oilers getting close to acquiring Chris Tanev?
Friday afternoon, Rick Dhaliwal, a Vancouver Canucks reporter, was discussing the availability of Tanev on Sportsnet 650 as the Canucks could also be interested in reacquiring him for a second tenure in Vancouver.
However, within that segment, he dropped a bit of a hint that indicated the Oilers were ‘making a push for Tanev’.
Within the context of the team over the last couple of weeks, head coach Kris Knoblauch recently tried jumbling up the defensive pairings, putting Vincent Desharnais with Nurse. That experiment did not last long and the pairing returned to their previous order, suggesting that the solution to the right defence upgrade will not come from within.
So, the timing of the push for Tanev fits with recent activity within the Oilers’ lineup.
With the trade deadline three weeks away, time is starting to run out and the pressure is on to make a calculated move to improve the team.
Will we soon see a trade announcement bringing Chris Tanev to the Edmonton Oilers? Drop a comment down below!
Photo by Brett Holmes/Icon Sportswire
Just what we don’t need is to trade Young players like Broberg and 1st round draft choices for a over the hill defenseman. Trade our future for a rental to get us to the third round of playoffs is insane.