With Evander Kane on long-term injured reserve for 3-4 months, the Edmonton Oilers have several options to get by during that time. In the short term, they called up Mattias Janmark and Klim Kostin, while Tyler Benson is skating with the team and is close to a return.
Related: Can the Oilers Survive 3-4 Months Without Kane?
Dylan Holloway has moved up to the second line in Kane’s spot to kick things off. If that doesn’t go as planned, and the called-up players don’t play up to expectations, the Oilers have external options to consider for cheap (under $1 million cap hit). The team is pressed right up against the cap, and when Kane returns to the lineup, they will have about $13,000 in cap space remaining and 21 players on the roster. Any player acquired whose cap hit is over $1 million without trading someone away will put them in a tough spot down the line. Here’s a look at some possible cheap additions the Oilers could target to boost their forward group.
Philipp Kurashev- $750,000 AAV
Since the Chicago Blackhawks are in the business of selling any and all players, Philipp Kurashev is the perfect target for the Oilers. With a better opportunity in the Blackhawks’ lineup, he has been much more effective. Even with less playing time last season, his numbers suggested he was primed to be more impactful given the opportunity.
Kurashev scored two goals and six points in his first nine games of the season before going pointless in his last four. For a third-year NHL player who is young and whose career highs are six goals and 21 points, he can’t be expected to be a point-per-game player. Despite being on a Blackhawks team where expectations were very low, he has produced better than anyone in the Oilers’ bottom-six.
Kurashev has played his way onto the second line, and Jonathan Toews had some notable words about his winger. “We’ve seen over these last few years the level of skill [Kurashev] has at moments,” Toews said. “The biggest thing to become a top player, an elite player, when you have that kind of skill is…consistency” (from ‘Even in losses, Philipp Kurashev is quietly driving Blackhawks’ most effective lines,’ Chicago Sun Times, Oct. 30, 2022). Kurashev is a restricted free agent at the end of the season and has a low cap hit of $750,000. For a player who could fill in on the second line or be productive in the bottom-six with team control after the season, it’s worth a look by the Oilers.
Rasmus Asplund- $825,000 AAV
The Buffalo Sabres are off to a strong start, with offensive production throughout their lineup. They have a deep forward group but more forwards than they have room for. The Sabres have done a good job drafting players who are now starting to push for spots, but there’s just not enough room for everyone, and eventually, they will have to make decisions on who will remain and who has to move on.
Rasmus Asplund is someone the Sabres should look into shopping. He is their 2016 second-round pick and has started the season off fairly well on the third line. He has two goals and six points in 12 games, which is also better than the Oilers’ current depth. Buffalo has several players, like Dylan Cozens, JJ Peterka, Casey Mittelstadt, Peyton Krebs, and Jack Quinn, while top forward prospects like Matthew Savoie, Noah Ostlund, and Prokhor Poltapov will arrive soon enough. Asplund was effective when he saw time in Buffalo’s top-six last season and has proven he can produce offensively in the bottom-six as well. That’s exactly what the Oilers need from a potential addition.
Andrei Kuzmenko- $950,000 AAV
Andrei Kuzmenko would be the most difficult to pry away among this group of players. Despite the Vancouver Canucks’ poor start, he has been a bright spot in his first season in North America, with seven goals and 11 points in 14 games, playing top-six minutes.
He would be costly to acquire and trades with division rivals aren’t too popular, but Kuzmenko would be the safest bet to replace the scoring lost in Kane’s absence. Kuzmenko can seamlessly fill in on the second power-play unit and score just as well as Kane this season. He also has a fair cap hit that the Oilers would be able to manage.
Daniel Sprong- $750,000 AAV
The Seattle Kraken also has a very deep forward group, so much so that they can’t find playing time for Shane Wright. In order to make the coach’s decision easier, the team could trade someone away to free up a spot in their lineup so the rookie can consistently play.
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The best target for the Oilers would be Daniel Sprong. He may not be the player to fill in for Kane in the top-six, but he has been surprisingly effective putting up points in a bottom-six role. In eight games this season, he’s scored two goals and seven points, while averaging under 11 minutes per game. The Oilers don’t have someone that effective among their depth players and haven’t for a long time. With a cap hit of $750,000, there is more than enough room to work him into the lineup now and when Kane returns.
Evgeny Svechnikov- $750,000 AAV
The San Jose Sharks are undoubtedly going to be sellers at the deadline. They’ve lost five games in a row, allowing at least four goals and scoring at least three goals in each of them. The team sits second last in the Western Conference and has the worst win percentage in the NHL.
Evgeny Svechnikov is a player the Sharks might be willing to move and would help the Oilers. He would be cheap to acquire and has a small cap hit of $750,000. With two goals and five points in 11 games, he’s another player who has played limited minutes but has still produced more than the Oilers’ depth forwards. He would fit in the bottom-six, but has shown the ability to enter the top-six and produce as he did with the Winnipeg Jets last season.
The Oilers should keep the channels open regarding potential trades with other teams. They will likely need help somewhere in their lineup at some point, even if it’s not right now. Edmonton will start with their internal options before turning to trade, but there’s lots of time to pull one off if the team stumbles without Kane.
