Oilers targeting veteran center for potential trade.

The National Hockey League's trade deadline is rapidly approaching and as we draw nearer and nearer to that eventual deadline we are going to start to get a clearer picture of which teams will be buyers and which teams will be sellers.

It seems like the Edmonton Oilers plan to be buyers, and perhaps even well ahead of the trade deadline, and in fact it appears as though general manager Ken Holland may have tipped his hand a little early.

On Saturday night, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman revealed his belief that the Oilers are currently targeting veteran centerman Nick Bjugstad of the Arizona Coyotes as a potential addition to their roster as they make a push for the playoffs. Although Friedman seemed confident in his belief that the Oilers are in on Bjugstad, he also made it clear they weren't alone in their interest.

"I believe Edmonton is one of the teams, and I think there's more than one, that has interest in Arizona center Nick Bjugstad," said Friedman on Hockey Night in Canada.

Friedman also laid out a number of factors that make Bjugstad an interesting target for the Oilers, including his production at even strength, his ability to play in all facets of the game, and of course his very manageable cap hit.

"It's an easy contract for a lot of teams to handle, 900k, he's got 11 goals this year, 10 are even strength, one is shorthanded."

Interestingly, it sounds like Friedman believes that Bjugstad's  well-roundedness may have contributed to making the veteran center a potential target, specifically the success he has found in the shootout.

"What somebody else pointed out to me is, the NHL lead this year in shootout goals is 4, he's got 3, and those are points you need to get into the playoffs. I think the Oilers are one of the team's interested in Bjugstad."

No word from Friedman on what a move of this nature would cost the Oilers, but if several parties are interested that will almost certainly drive up the price.