There is never a stop to the trade talk, is there? With just under two weeks to the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline, time is running out for the NHL’s general managers to make the final tweaks to their rosters in the chase for a Stanley Cup.
Of course, with their status as a buyer as they try to legitimize their case for the Stanley Cup, the Edmonton Oilers are involved in a lot of these rumours.
In the Saturday Headlines segment of Hockey Night in Canada on February 24, Elliotte Friedman links two Anaheim Ducks forwards to the Oilers.
Henrique still linked to the Oilers
Adam Henrique is a familiar name to those of us following the rumours closely. He is a player who has been talked about as a possible addition for the Oilers for weeks. And for good reason.
Henrique would be an excellent addition to Edmonton’s bottom six forwards. He is a regular 40+ point scorer and he can play anywhere in the lineup (which is a fantastic feature when dealing with possible playoff injuries or lineup blenders to shake things up within games).
A unique part of Henrique’s fit is his two-way play. He is reliable on both sides of the puck and can kill penalties. So for a team with a loaded first power play unit and not much room in the top-six most nights, a utility player like this who can fill other roles will give the Oilers what they need to complete their forward core.
Carrick enters the discussion
Sam Carrick has been praised and mentioned occasionally as the type of player the Oilers would want to bring in. A physical bottom line forward who can change the momentum within the game. And, yet another player who excels on the penalty kill. He leads Ducks forwards in shorthanded time on ice per game (Henrique is second, by the way).
Carrick is another one of those pest type players the Oilers would want to stockpile for the playoffs. Him, along with Corey Perry and Evander Kane, would be a top tier trio at agitating the opponents and hopefully throwing them off of their game enough to let Edmonton capitalize. After last season’s loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, these types of players could prove valuable.
What does this mean for the Oilers’ trade deadline strategy?
With two names like this closely linked to the Oilers at this stage, the direction is clear. Forward depth with a focus on improving the penalty kill. As it stands heading into Saturday’s Battle of Alberta, the Oilers have the 16th ranked PK in the league. Playoff success will require an improvement on that.
Now, a big question with these two is would bringing in one (or both) of the top penalty killing forwards from the team with the 25th ranked PK in the league actually lead to an improvement?
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