The Edmonton Oilers are attempting to make trades ahead of Friday’s trade deadline, Elliotte Friedman mentioned during Saturday’s Headlines report. The NHL insider claims that the team needs to free up funds before they can pursue all of their goals. Friedman went on to say that general manager Ken Holland is phoning clubs and attempting to persuade them to sign a player whose contract includes financial compensation.
Any meaningful additions the Oilers make this season will probably require them to void a contract. In particular, it likely entails releasing a player with a sizable contract who still has money or term remaining on their agreement. The most sensible targets would be Evander Kane, Brett Kulak, Cody Ceci, or Warren Foegele.
Friedman didn’t name which player might be on the move, but it’s clear Edmonton can’t add a big-ticket pending UFA or another player with term unless a move happens first. Unlike many teams working in LTIR, the Oilers are relatively healthy. They don’t have free money to spend because a big contract is out injured.
Holland has hinted that he’d like to find another trade similar to the deal he did last season. In that move, he traded Tyson Barrie out at the deadline and added Mattias Ekholm. Ekholm had years left on his deal, so he wasn’t a rental, but he was an upgrade in an area of need. Holland would like to find that kind of deal again.
