The Edmonton Oilers now have plenty of options that can play defense for them in the NHL, and with Jake Walman returning to action, that pushes the depth down a little more. With many options, a path could lead them to trading at least one of them.
On 32 Thoughts, Elliotte Friedman said, “I think Edmonton…they’ve got 8 or 9 (defensemen), including the guys in the AHL. I think eventually Edmonton could be looking at that (trade-wise).” Stan Bowman, the Oilers’ general manager, has not been afraid to make a trade to elevate the team since taking over last year, and by moving a defenseman out, it does multiple positive things for Edmonton.
What Trading a Defenseman Would Do for the Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are likely only going to trade a defenseman if it means some sort of asset comes back. The team doesn’t need any fringe player or long-shot prospect, but rather someone who can step into the lineup or a draft pick that can contribute to getting one at a later time.
While middle-round picks in the draft don’t generally generate NHL talent, plenty of players can be traded for with those picks. As a Stanley Cup contender, it is a better use of the picks if there’s an opportunity for it, even if the amateur scouting department is very good.
If certain d-men are traded, then it could open up a little bit of cap space. This won’t really be a factor unless one of the top six defensemen are traded, which isn’t that likely, but not out of the question, considering Ty Emberson isn’t a sure-fire shot at playing every day moving forward, given his utilization so far this season.
Who Could Be on Their Way Out of Edmonton?
Emberson was the first name mentioned that could be on the move. While he did sign a two-year, $1.3 million AAV deal, he has logged less than 16 minutes per game, gets no power-play time, and has 1:34 of ice time per game on the penalty kill. His ability to play on the penalty kill is useful, but Mattias Ekholm, Evan Bouchard, and Brett Kulak all average more ice time on the penalty kill per game, Darnell Nurse and Jake Walman have at least a minutes on the kill each game, and Alec Regula (0:55) and Troy Stecher (0:28) aren’t strangers to the penalty kill either.
Bouchard, Ekholm, Walman, Nurse, and Emberson are signed past this season, but while Kulak isn’t, he is too valuable and on too good a contract to trade away. The other defensemen Friedman wasn’t talking about include Stecher, Regula, and Cam Dineen. But he undersold the veteran depth playing in the AHL as the Oilers have Josh Brown (300 NHL games), Riley Stillman (163 games), and 26-year-old Atro Leppanen, who played the last two full seasons in Liiga.
This might have to be a decision made by the time Regular returns from the injured reserve as two spots and one role in the lineup will be available for Emberson, Stecher, and Regula, all of whom would have to go through waivers.
The AHL depth is good to have and there’s no need to move them, but it is crowded on the Oilers’ blue line and there could be value in one of those three names mentioned.
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