The Edmonton Oilers really need to make big changes before this year’s trade deadline to increase their chances of winning the Stanley Cup, and they have the money to do it.
The Oilers have been linked to many forwards this year, but what they might really need is a strong right-shot defenseman in the top four. Sadly, there aren’t many available to trade for right now, so it’s more likely that they will look to improve their forwards.
Oilers analyst shares the best trade option for the team as the deadline approaches.
PuckPedia reports that the Oilers have $2.9 million in salary cap space with their current lineup. If they trade forward Andrew Mangiapane, who has a $3.6 million contract, their available space could jump to $6.5 million.
That’s a good amount of money to bring in a great player while keeping within the budget. They won’t be looking to improve their goalies since they’ve already made changes there, and there aren’t many strong defensemen available right now. This means the forwards are likely the focus for upgrades.
In a new article for the Athletic, analyst Allan Mitchell suggested that Ryan O’Reilly would be the best player to help the Oilers in the forward position.
Ryan O’Reilly, who plays for the Nashville Predators, has a salary cap hit of $4.5 million and fits all the needs for Edmonton as a third-line center. Puck IQ shows that he plays against top players 45 percent of the time, which is a tough job, and helps Nashville compete during those moments.
Out of all the players available for trade, O’Reilly might be the best choice because he fits perfectly, has an affordable salary, and could be acquired without too much trouble.
– Allan Mitchell
With his reasonable salary of $4.5 million, his ability to play both offense and defense well, and his experience winning the Stanley Cup, O’Reilly would be ideal to support the Oilers’ third line for another playoff run.
The third-line center spot has been a weak point for the Oilers this season. There have been talks about splitting up the strong top line to move Nugent-Hopkins down to help the bottom six.
Bringing in a star third-line center like O’Reilly would allow Nugent-Hopkins to stay on the first line and give Knoblauch a reliable veteran player to help build a strong team for the playoffs. O’Reilly is having an impressive season at 35 years old, scoring 56 points in 57 games on a struggling Predators team.
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