The Edmonton Oilers had a plan that worked for several weeks in trusting new head coach Ken Hitchcock, however now, it has become clear something else needs to be done. The Oilers have just one win in their last eight games and are looking to stick in the playoff race. On Sunday, the Canadian team acquired depth defensemen Alex Petrovic and Brandon Manning and it seems like it's only the beginning of major changes to come in Edmonton, seeing that this latest transaction won't be enough to help the Oilers shore up their blueline...
According to TSN insider Pierre LeBrun, the Oilers and general manager Peter Chiarelli would love to get a top-four defenseman before the Feb. 25 trade deadline. While the move would be a perfect one to fix one of the Oilers' biggest voids, it seems like that type of deal isn’t available to them at the present time, though maybe that might change when rival clubs start falling out of playoff contention in the coming weeks.
LeBrun believes they’d like to land that top-four blue liner for futures, rather than giving up a top-six forward. Which almost sounds impossible...
"There's no question, looking at the big picture, that what the Edmonton Oilers would love to do before Feb. 25 if they're still in the race and they plan to be, is to get a top-four defenseman. That trade just isn't there right now, I think for the Oilers. But as we go on, and perhaps some teams decide they are no longer in the race and suddenly have players available that aren't available right now, maybe, if the Oilers can get a top-four defenseman for futures, cause they won't want to trade away a top-six forward in return, but for futures, if that deal is there, I think it's something the Oilers will look at. But easier said than done."
In the meantime, the Oilers will have to keep pushing and climbing up the standings to remain in a playoff spot if Chiarelli can get the perfect pitch to land this top-four blue liner. The St. Blues, for example, have been struggling all season long and many rumours surrounded captain Alex Pietrangelo... He could become a target for the Oilers, who are still looking to get help from sidelined defenders in Andrej Sekera and Kris Russell.
Edmonton will not be the only team shopping for a quality blue liner at the deadline, for many seasons now, the Toronto Maple Leafs have been said to be looking to add a significant boost to their back end...
