Edmonton Oilers: The Keith trade finally happened, now what?

Bonus material

The Oilers blueline could look much different next season. With the trade for Keith, it appears the Oilers have essentially given in to the fact that Klefbom’s career appears to have come to a screeching halt. Klefbom has dealt with injuries for much of his career, so if that is indeed true it wouldn’t surprise me in the least.

Adam Larsson is still taking his sweet time in deciding where to sign next. The Oilers are rumored to be exploring contingency plans in case Larsson doesn’t come back. Holland has reportedly reached out to Tyson Barrie’s camp to see what he’d want to come back to the Oilers for the next few seasons at least.

He’s also reached out to Dougie Hamilton’s camp to see what he’d want going forward. Hamilton is the better all-around player than Barrie, but he’ll also be the more expensive guy. Holland has to watch the cap space a bit closer now that Keith is coming here, presumably with no cap space retained by Chicago.

Mind you, Klefbom’s LTIR will pay for most of that, but still. Either guy would be a welcome addition, but Hamilton would have more of an impact defensively. Barrie is still very much a Brent Burns in his prime type – suspect defensively but so good offensively his team is willing to overlook that as he’s one of the few guys who can outscore his mistakes. Hamilton is one of the prime free agents, though, and was most recently making $5.75 million a season.

Could he make $8 million a season on his next contract? Maybe, even in a flat cap NHL. Do we want that contract on the Oilers? If Larsson isn’t coming back, that leaves Kris Russell as the only veteran on the right side of the corps, and he’s no longer a regular player – and he shoots left so he’s not a true right side guy even though he’s capable of playing there.

It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out. If rumors are correct, Larsson is coming back, but it’s nice to know the Oilers are pursuing contingencies just in case.