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This in from Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland, his response to Bob Stauffer of the Oilers radio network when Stauffer asserted that Edmonton had filled a lot of its needs at the trading deadline by acquiring centres Adam Henrique and Sam Carrick and right shot depth d-man Troy Stecher.
“If we’re done, I feel good,” Holland said. “But I am going to kind of wait until tomorrow (Friday). Tomorrow morning I’m going to get up and I’m going to just kind of call a few people to see if there’s anything out there that might be of interest to people, but if this is it, again, we got seven D, I feel good about the two forwards.”
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He added: “I’m always worried about the chemistry. I think we’re bringing in three people into the locker room that will fit in, be competitive, and understand where they fit.”
1. How has Holland done at the 2024 trade deadline so far? He’s added three useful players, one of them who will be in Edmonton’s Core 12, the heart of any hockey team, its top three centres, top four wingers, top four d-men and top goalie.
2. Vegas added two players into its Core 12 in Noah Hanifin and Anthony Mantha. Colorado added two solid fourth line checkers and one or two Core 12 players in Casey Mittelstadt and Sean Walker, depending on where Walker ends up in the line0up. Vancouver, Dallas and Winnipeg have so far added one Core 12 player each, just like Edmonton. There’s not a lot of separation here, with each team making a key addition.
3. Edmonton addressed critical needs, bringing in the best centre available at the trade deadline in Henrique, adding a right shot depth centre in Carrick who can hit, take key faceoffs and kill penalties, and addressing Edmonton’s major need at right defence with Stecher.
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4. For most of the season I felt the Oil’s biggest need was for a third line centre, but in the past few weeks I’d come to think that a Top 4 d-man, a right shot puck-mover, had taken over as the greatest need. Cody Ceci and Vincent Desharnais both have merit as right side defenders, but neither is an above average puck-mover at the NHL level.
It seems to me Holland and his staff also saw a need at right defence, hence their reported efforts to bring in Chris Tanev from Calgary. That seems like it might well have been their top priority. But there were few offerings at the deadline at right defence, so they moved to what I saw as their second biggest need, another centre. They hit a solid triple there bringing in Henrique.
5. There was a glut of wingers available at the deadline, but if Leon Draisaitl is going to play wing with Connor McDavid in the playoffs — and that’s looking more likely all the time — then did Edmonton really need to add another winger? No, if it’s going to be McDavid and Drai on the same line, Edmonton needed a centre, not a winger, so Holland pounced on Henrique and Carrick. For the price of his first and fifth round picks, he got both, plus half retention on both of their salaries. It was a sound bet by Edmonton’s GM.
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6. I’ve always like Stecher’s game. I would not be surprised if he works his way into the line-up ahead of Ceci or Desharnais, if one of them were to wobble. Stecher’s puck-moving is solid. I’m also relieved that the Oilers brought in a puck mover like Stecher, as opposed to a Big Bobby Clobber-type. Holland realized the need for puck-moving as the big need, I suspect, and that assessment was correct.
7. Of course, as he said, Holland may not be done wheeling and dealing but I suspect we’ll see nothing more, not unless that Top 4 right shot d-man pops free all of a sudden. There’s a chance Alexander Carrier of Nashville will be available. The Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli continues to mention that Jordan Eberle may be available as well, but I don’t see Eberle’s price or contract being a fit, not with Draisaitl on the wing at least.
How do you see it?
At the Cult of Hockey
LEAVINS: Player grades in loss to CBJ
McCURDY: Oilers trade for Stecher
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