As the dust has settled following the Stan Bowman hiring by the Edmonton Oilers, hockey news items are few and far between. When September rolls around and training camps near, more signings and small trades may roll in, but for the most part rosters are now set.
As this pertains to the Oilers, they still have on glaring hole that has yet to be addressed adequately since the departure of Adam Larsson. More specifically, this is the coveted second RHD spot that has been much discussed over the past calendar year.
In a fun off-season exercise, let's throw around three possible trade targets to address this need. I will do my best to keep it within the real world of hockey, so we'll look to teams that aren't expected to compete and players who don't fit their timeline.
1. Radko Gudas - Anaheim Ducks
Gudas is someone I have written about previously as a potential target for the Oilers. He is a perfect utility defenceman who can play either beside Darnell Nurse in the two hole spot, or perhaps on the third pairing with Brett Kulak. He is an incredibly durable and efficient player, who plays a rugged and responsible brand of a defence. And even at his somewhat advanced age, has defied the odds and become even more effective. The move would require trading Cody Ceci to make the dollars work, but this would be an upgrade.
2. Rasmus Andersson - Calgary Flames
It is unlikely that Craig Conroy deals a premium player to his provincial rival, as he is in the infancy of his position as general manager and was a part of the battle of Alberta as a player for many years. However, it's not unheard of for these two to do business and Andersson represents one of the few prime assets left to move in this tear down that has begun in Calgary. Andersson brings a different element than Gudas and his underlying numbers are not as good. But this guy is an excellent puck-moving two way defender, who could plug in next to Nurse and immediately improve the pairing.
3. Adam Larsson - Seattle Kraken
Picking three players all from within the Pacific Division is a tad bold I admit. Picking Larsson among them is beyond bold. But in doing the research for this article, no certifiable upgrades at RHD across the league really emerged as realistic possibilities other than these three. Larsson has a modified no trade clause and it's highly likely that Edmonton is on it, so he would have to agree to this move. Moreover, Seattle is posturing as though they are going to be competitive, so it's also unlikely they would be willing to deplete their blue line. All this said, it's very likely that they will miss the playoffs again and Larsson will be an attractive piece at the deadline for contending teams. The Oilers should love to have him back, to bring some consistency to their second pairing.
Gudas is the most realistic of these three options, pending they can make the money work. Which is easier said than done, as we still await the contracts for Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway. Nevertheless, if the Oilers wants to bring Stanley home, an upgrade at this position should be atop the shopping list.