It is going to be a very busy offseason around Edmonton and that’s certainly exciting for both the fans and media that support and cover this team. The Oilers are fully expected to do everything in their power to turn this team into a contender. To do that, Ken Holland will have to check a lot of boxes.
What I’ve been doing over the last few weeks here at Oilersnation is outlining what I think needs to be done in order for Ken Holland to have a successful offseason. Basically, I’ve been writing my wishlist for the next month or so. Here’s what I’ve gotten so far:
- Get rid of James Neal & Mikko Koskinen
- Bring back Nugent-Hopkins & Larsson
- Acquire an impact winger
- Find a second goaltender
And now, it’s time for the final part of the series. Here is part five:
FINDING TWO QUALITY DEPTH FORWARDS
Jan 18, 2021; Anaheim, California, USA; Anaheim Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf (15) during a stoppage in play against the Minnesota Wild in the second period at Honda Center.
We’ve already checked a lot of significant boxes and now it’s time to put the final touches on the Oilers offseason. On top of bringing back Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and adding an impact-scoring winger, the Oilers will still need to bring in two more pieces to this forward group. One will likely have to be a centre and one will be a winger.
Let’s start with the centres. I personally think they can find this player on the free-agent market. There are plenty of solid veteran centremen on the market and they can get a player who will make a difference in their bottom-six without breaking the bank.
@ALEX WENNBERG: I think he might get overpaid this offseason after having a terrific bounceback season in Columbus. He’s a fine bottom-six player, but there’s no way he shoots over 20% again. I would stay away from Wennberg simply because I think some team will give him too much money.
@TRAVIS ZAJAC: He won’t give you much offence, but he’s a fine defensive centreman and he shoots right, so he would be a decent fit for the Oilers. He’s 36-years-old, so I wouldn’t do anything more than a one-year deal, but I could certainly see the Oilers being interested.
@RYAN GETZLAF: I don’t think he’ll leave California, but if he does, I think Ken Holland should make a call. They need a veteran bottom-six centre and Getzlaf could be exactly that. Would he be interested in coming home to western Canada to try win a Stanley Cup late in his career? Potentially. I wouldn’t give him more than $2 million for next season though. I like the idea, but I just don’t think it’s overly realistic.
@ERIK HAULA: This is one of my favourite names on the free-agent list. He doesn’t skate as well as he used to, but he’s still a solid bottom-six centreman who can give you good minutes at even-strength and kill penalties. He shoots left, so he’s not a perfect fit for the Oilers but still, he should be a name they’re interested in. He scored nine goals in 52 games this season with Nashville.
@NICK BONINO: He picked up ten goals and 16 assists this season with the Minnesota Wild and 21 of his 26 points came at even strength. He’s always been used on the penalty kill, which is something the Oilers would need him to do. I like him a third-line centre option, even though he shoots left. It’s also worth noting he has a connection to the Edmonton area, so he might be more open to coming to the Oilers than some.
@TYLER BOZAK: Another veteran, right-handed centreman whose best offensive days are behind him but can still give you solid minutes. Bozak’s underlying numbers weren’t great this season and he’s certainly not my favourite option on this list, but he’s worth mentioning.
@LUKE GLENDENNING: This is probably the most likely move if we’re being honest. Holland was close with him during their time in Detroit and was interested in him this past trade deadline. I would not be the least bit surprised if Glendening is an Oiler next season. I wouldn’t love it, because there are better options out there, but it’s the move I’m expecting.
There are likely going to be trade options, but it’s hard to tell who will really be available right now, especially with the expansion draft looming. It wouldn’t stun me if the Oilers made a trade for a third-line centre though. Maybe even swapping one of their expensive veteran forwards for another team’s overpaid veteran centreman.
The other forward they would need to add is likely another winger. One thing I’m keeping in mind is the possibility that someone like Tomas Tatar is still on the market a few weeks into free agency and could be open to signing a one-year deal. They did it last summer with Tyson Barrie and the cap still isn’t going up, so they could do it again, but this time with a forward.
There are also some other players on the market who would be solid third-line winger options for the Oilers. Whether it’s via trade or free agency, I would be interested in any of @Mattias Janmark, @Michael Bunting, @Corey Perry, @Ryan Dzingel, Warren Foegle, Brock McGinn, or Joel Armia. Obviously, there are names on that list that would be better options than others, but they could all very well be considered.
Boone Jenner out of Columbus would also really intrigue me. He’s in the final year of a deal that has a cap hit of $3.75m. He’s a versatile forward and he’s coming off a down year, so the cost to get him might not be too high.
Dylan Strome from the Blackhawks is another name that could be acquired via trade. He’s only 24-years-old, has over 200 NHL games under his belt, and scored at nearly a 20-goal pace last season with the Blackhawks. He has one more year on his contract with a cap hit of $3.0m. We know he’s close with Connor McDavid as well, so that certainly makes you wonder if there could be a fit here.
I left out some of the big-name targets like Brandon Saad, Blake Coleman, and others, simply because I already touched on them in part three of the series, but they would be great fits and I’m not even ruling out the possibility of Ken Holland really going all in this offseason and trading for a scoring winger (Rakell, Debrusk, Reinhart), bringing back Nugent-Hopkins, and signing one of the big free agents on the board. It could happen.
I think the Oilers will be serious about becoming contenders this offseason and as I’ve outlined here, there is no shortage of interesting and available players on both the free agent and trade market. It’s now time for Holland to put his stamp on this team.
