The Edmonton Oilers made a big move on Wednesday, adding Adam Henrique and Sam Carrick from the Anaheim Ducks. They also added goaltender Ty Taylor and a 7th-round pick as accent pieces to make the trade work. Out of necessity, the Ducks retained salary in the trade, as did the Tampa Bay Lightning as a third-party broker. In exchange, GM Ken Holland gave up a first-round pick and a conditional 2025 fifth-round pick. Tampa gets the Oilers’ 2024 fourth-rounder for retaining another 25% on Henrique’s contract.
The trade itself is being seen as a big win for the Oilers, but what makes it even more interesting is that it leaves the organization room to do more. And, the expectation is that Holland will try. He confirmed with media on Wednesday that he is looking at a depth defenseman, preferably a veteran. He’s not sure if he’ll be able to pull it off, but he intends to try over the next 48 hours. He expects that if he’s able to do something that player will be a No. 7 defender.
The savvy move pulled off by Holland brings in two useful players for under $2 million. As Puck Pedia points out:
In the trades, #LetsGoOilers add Henrique @ $1.45625M & Carrick @ $425K. After sending [Sam] Gagner ($775K) down, they have $266K Projected Cap Space remaining with 22 players. This can fit $1.16M annual cap hit today or $1.22M Friday.
That leaves the Oilers with a few options. Holland plans to focus on the blue line.
What Can Edmonton Realistically Add on Defense Before Friday?
Taking a look at the trade bait board, there are a few names that stand out. If the Oilers wanted to swing a little bigger, they could look at Joel Edmundson and Alexandre Carrier. Edmundson is a name that the Oilers might be interested in. He has a cap hit of $1.75 million and if the Washington Capitals retained salary in the trade, he could be had for as low as $875K. Meanwhile, Carrier is a $2.5 million cap hit that would come in around $1.25 million. His trade would require another move from the Oilers or a third team getting involved.
There will be other names available too. If the Oilers wanted to go for someone with term, David Savard has been mentioned in trade talks over the past couple of weeks. Again, Edmonton would need a third team to get involved. Adam Boqvist is available out of Columbus. He’s a $2.6 million cap hit, which could get knocked down to $1.3 million leaving the Oilers needing to make minor changes to get cap compliant.