The Edmonton Oilers just rattled off their second eight-game win streak since Kris Knoblauch took over as head coach and are 16-3-0 in their last 19 games. The team has stormed their way into a playoff spot for the first time this season after a horrid start, and they aren’t looking back.
The Oilers are now in a position where general manager Ken Holland can confidently acquire help that will not go to waste. While developing chemistry could be an issue, there is no denying that the Oilers need some upgrades as the games get more difficult down the stretch. On Jan. 10, during an intermission of their game against the Chicago Blackhawks, Oilers insider Bob Stauffer spoke about the organization’s need for another top-six forward.
Stauffer noted that the Ottawa Senators and Philadelphia Flyers could be viable trade partners, especially Travis Konecny if the Flyers aren’t intent on keeping him. He would be an incredibly good addition to the team. Combined with his skill with the puck and the ability to produce offensively, he is also gritty and has a playoff style of game. He is a true top-six winger that the Oilers didn’t get with Connor Brown.
Evander Kane is also a top-six forward, despite playing on the third line at the moment. The assumption is that he will eventually move back up and Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl would be the first and second-line centres with four legitimate top-six wingers. This would move Ryan Mcleod and Warren Foegele out of the top-six, but their confidence is higher than ever and both would be able to bring the same energy and scoring ability to the third line, making the Oilers much deeper.
Konecny’s cap hit is $5.5 million AAV (average annual value). For a team that is pushing the limits of the salary cap, the Oilers aren’t going to find a player with a much better cap hit who can impact the game, like Konecny. With salary retention and a player from the roster going the other way (likely a forward), this would be a massive win for the Oilers.
It would surely cost them a first-round pick, but that’s what first-rounders are for on a contending team that is loading up for a run or two. Edmonton would get him for an extra year, so whatever they pay will be worth it. The Flyers are falling and don’t seem to want to change their plan of being a rebuilding team at this time. They will have a slim chance at a very high pick because of their strong start, but they have more than one first-rounder in 2024, and if they also lose their best player, it should help speed things along, especially if Konecny doesn’t intend on re-signing.
Who Is Of Interest On The Senators?
Unlike the Flyers, there is no doubt that the Senators are going to be sellers at the deadline (from “GARRIOCH: The Ottawa Senators need to quickly carve a path back to respectability,” Ottawa Sun, Jan. 4, 2024). The team has again dug themselves a bigger hole than they can climb out of and are last in the Eastern Conference and 30th in the league in points.
The Senators have received some calls, and while they are looking to add a veteran piece long-term, they could also make a couple of other shakeups to the roster. The team’s UFAs (unrestricted free agents) that pop out are Vladimir Tarasenko and Dominik Kubalik. As far as performance goes, Mathieu Joseph’s name should also be in the conversation if the Oilers are looking at all options on the roster. He has an extra two years on his deal, is lining up on the top line and has six goals and 19 points in 26 games at almost half the price of Tarasenko. The term scares me a bit, which is why he is the least likely to be brought in to the Oilers of the three.
Tarasenko has been the most productive this season of the three trade candidates on the Senators. Although he wants to get paid next season, which the Oilers can’t and won’t be willing to do, moving to a Cup contender for a few months and a chance at a championship would sound good to any player. Tarasenko has a full no-trade clause, but if he was willing to come to Canada and sign with the Senators, I am betting he’d be willing to go to an offensive juggernaut like the Oilers to boost his numbers and earn a better contract for next season. With eight goals and 25 points in 34 games, he would be a solid fit to stabilize the wing on the first or second line.
I have Kubalik’s name in here because there is a good chance he will be moved as a pending UFA, and he hasn’t been great for the Senators this season. The cost to acquire him and his cap hit would be less, and less is what the Oilers can afford. Even though he has nine goals, he has just 12 points in 36 games. The Oilers need a top-six forward, and Kubalik looks like a third-liner.
Related: 3 Burning Questions Facing the Oilers in 2024
I think the Oilers will look at all of their options, especially on the Senators, but the real prizes are Konecny and then Tarasenko as a backup plan. However, first, the Oilers arguably need to address their goaltending, even if Stuart Skinner is playing great. He will need some rest down the stretch and someone to lean on during the heavy schedule. Still, if a top-six forward is Holland’s first acquisition, and it’s the right move, I won’t be against it. At least management would have done something to make the team better.