Carson Soucy
Kraken defenseman Carson Soucy has been a player that the Oilers have had on their radar for a while now. The left-shot D-man is currently in the final year of his contract that carries an AAV of $2.75m and he’s a good fit stylistically to play with Barrie or Bouchard.
Soucy has had a fantastic start to the season; not only does he have above-average possession numbers, but the Kraken have outscored opponents 10-3 with Soucy on the ice this year at 5v5. He also has a huge 6’5” frame and he isn’t afraid to throw his weight around.
Niemelainen would likely be relegated to 7th D-man in this scenario, so it would be beneficial to maintain some size and physicality on the third pair from Soucy while also getting a more experienced player.
The $2.75m price tag wouldn’t be too tall of an order to add to Edmonton’s budget either as long as Seattle would be willing to take on one of Foegele, Puljujarvi, or Yamamoto’s contracts. I could easily see the Oilers making a move for Soucy, but if Seattle remains in the playoff race late into the season, they may not want to deal Soucy.