Report: Oilers acquire D Alex Petrovic

The Edmonton Oilers have acquired defenceman Alex Petrovic in exchange for a 2019 third round draft pick and Chris Wideman pending a trade call, according to TSN’s Bob McKenzie.

It comes a day after the Oilers were handed a brutal 7-4 loss to the San Jose Sharks — a game where the Oilers defensive lapses were clear.

Petrovic, 26, is an Edmonton-native with has one assist in 26 games this season. He’s averaged 17:23 TOI per game this year — up nearly a minute from his career average.

At even-strength, Petrovic has been an average possession player notching a 49.5 per cent Corsi rating this season. A low PDO of 96.7 suggests there is room for improvement for the 6’4, 216 lb defender known for his prowess in his own zone.

He is making $1.95-million this year, and is a UFA at season’s end.

With the Oilers holding two third round draft picks in 2019, McKenzie has indicated Florida will receive the better of the two.

Edmonton brought in Chris Wideman last month in a deal that saw them flip a 2020 sixth-round pick to Ottawa for his services. He struggled in his small showings with the Oilers and it was clear there wasn’t much trust for him from the organization.

While the cost of Petrovic isn’t major essentially being two draft picks — it will still likely be a top-100 pick for a player that the Oilers could just let walk at seasons end.

The Oilers are in dire need of back end help — a narrative as old as time itself. The problem has only been exacerbated with the losses of Oscar Klefbom and Kris Russell, the latter of which set to return soon.

The hope is that Petrovic can rebound and provide some stability on Edmonton’s defence.

Postmedia’s Jim Matheson, on Twitter, said the Oilers “might not be finished trading” after this morning’s move.

It’s a sentiment echoed by Sportsnet’s Mark Spector, who wrote he has heard from multiple sources Peter Chiarelli “still has some balls in the air.”

Stay tuned to OilersNation, where I will be bringing the latest on any potential news.

On Twitter: @zjlaing