With the Edmonton Oilers working with a 13-game winning streak at the time of writing this article, they are in a really strong spot and seem lined up to make the playoffs as they continue to climb up the Pacific Division standings. As we inch closer to the trade deadline, they will need to consider who they’ll be acquiring and analyze who the best fit for their team will be as they look to make a solid run into the postseason. After many changes earlier in the season which included changing their goaltending tandem and switching out the coaching staff, the Oilers have found themselves in a good spot and can safely consider themselves buyers heading into the trade deadline.
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One player that the Oilers could pursue if they were hoping to add some depth scoring is Anaheim Ducks’ forward Adam Henrique. The Ducks are a rebuilding team and haven’t found any type of growth in the standings this season. They made one trade sending Jamie Drysdale to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Cutter Gauthier to bolster their future and their prospect pool, but they haven’t made many moves lately that will overly improve their roster. Barring a long winning streak, the Ducks will sell off more assets to contending teams and have another high draft pick at the upcoming 2024 NHL Entry Draft.
In the offseason before the 2023-24 season, the Ducks signed both Radko Gudas and Alex Killorn to contracts in hopes of giving themselves a chance at competing for a wild-card playoff spot. While both of them have been solid this season, they haven’t quite pushed the Ducks into playoff team territory just yet. While they are both staying put at this season’s trade deadline, Henrique seems like a player the Ducks can get a few assets in return for, and the Oilers have the pieces to be able to pull off a move.
Who Is Adam Henrique & How Would He Help The Oilers?
Henrique is a 33-year-old left-shot forward from Brantford, Ontario currently playing with the Ducks. He was drafted in the third round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft by the New Jersey Devils after a strong showing in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) with the Windsor Spitfires where he scored 20 goals and added 24 assists for 44 points through 66 games. He followed up his draft year by returning to the Spitfires where he scored 30 goals and added 33 assists for 63 points through 56 games. In his final season as a member of the Spitfires, he scored 38 goals and added 39 assists for 77 points through 54 games and even earned an opportunity to represent Canada at the U20 World Junior Championship.
In the tournament, he scored one goal in six games. He earned his first taste of NHL hockey during the 2010-11 season when he played his first and only game of the season where he was held pointless, and spent the majority of the season in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Albany Devils, who used to be the Devils’ affiliate. In his first full season in the AHL, he scored 25 goals and added 25 assists for 50 points through 73 games and earned a full-time spot in the NHL the following season.
Henrique played for the Devils until midway through the 2017-18 season when he was traded to the Ducks, where he has played ever since. Over the course of his NHL career, he has scored 253 goals and added 254 assists for 507 points through 875 games which comes out to a 0.58 points-per-game average. He has solidified himself as a strong offensive producer and sound defensive forward.
This season, he has scored 14 goals and added 14 assists for 28 points through 45 games. His play has garnered attention from contending teams and the Oilers should be poking around to see what the price would be to bring him in. He would provide strong depth scoring and likely would be able to spark the rest of the bottom six forwards who have struggled to find consistent offence this season.
What Would It Cost The Oilers To Acquire Henrique?
Henrique has a contract with a $5.825 million cap hit and with the Oilers’ tight cap situation, they would need to move some money around to make a deal work. Theoretically, a deal between the two looks like the Oilers acquiring Henrique with a bit of salary retention to make the cap space work and a 2024 fifth-round pick in exchange for Cody Ceci, Philip Broberg and a 2025 third-round pick.
Broberg requested a trade from the Oilers this season and has been in the AHL ever since, where he has played well as he continues to wait for a new home, which the Ducks could give him. Ceci gives the Ducks some depth on the right side of their blue line which has been rather weak compared to their left side, and he could provide some veteran experience. The Ducks also receive a pick upgrade in 2025, which isn’t something they’d be opposed to, I’m sure.
The Oilers have a strong team, but Henrique would make it even stronger as we inch closer to the postseason. His addition would help the Oilers make it back to a playoff spot and likely help them climb even higher in the Pacific Division standings. Hopefully, they try and make a move for Henrique before the trade deadline.