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Oilers’ Holland Not Done Trying to Add Ahead of Trade Deadline

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Oilers’ Holland Not Done Trying to Add Ahead of Trade Deadline NHL Trade Talk.

After adding Mattias Ekholm to their lineup, Edmonton Oilers’ GM Ken Holland said, “We’d like to do one more thing if we possibly could.” It wasn’t clear what exactly he was looking for and if he was prioritizing another right-shot defenseman to take the place of Tyson Barrie who was moved in the Ekholm deal, or if if wanted to add a depth forward, but he did say it was money in, money out to get anything done.

In others words, while the Oilers do have some cap space, they’ll likely have to send someone to the AHL or trade a player off of the roster to make additional moves. The names being tossed out there are Kailer Yamamoto, Devin Shore, and Warren Foegele.

Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff notes: “They have $1.3 million in space and could add up to a $5.2 million player, if his salary cap hit is run through a third-party broker. They could create even more than that by moving Kailer Yamamoto or Warren Foegele. That might not be necessary.” Noting that the Oilers have too many skilled, one-dimensional forwards they need a little bite and nastiness and both Yamamoto and Foegele can provide that in spurts. Alternatively, if the Oilers move one of them for a player who offers grit more consistently, Seravalli says, “There’s plenty of those guys at $2.6 million or under that won’t cost an arm or a leg.”

Could Oilers Get Cap Flexibility With Yamamoto?

That said, it’s not exactly clear where Yamamoto will be in terms of his injury status. He came back recently, but was removed from Wednesday’s game against the Maple Leafs late after taking a nasty hit from Justin Holl. Jason Gregor writes, “There is concern. He has had neck/body issues all year. He has seen specialists, and last night’s hit didn’t look great for him.”

Kailer Yamamoto Edmonton Oilers NHL
Kailer Yamamoto Edmonton Oilers NHL

If Yamamoto does hit LTIR, that’s another $3.1 million the Oilers would have to spend on their cap ahead of Friday’s deadline.

Holland noted that he’s hoping to have Dylan Holloway healthy by late March and have him play some games in the AHL and be ready for the playoffs. That would be another forward the Oilers could call up once all of the GM’s moves are done on Friday.

Bruins Sign David Pastrnak to Monster 8-Yr Extension

Oilers’ Holland Not Done Trying to Add Ahead of Trade Deadline NHL Trade Talk.

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