The big news of the day was the trade the Edmonton Oilers made for Adam Henrique and Sam Carrick. This was the first trade the Oilers have made this deadline season and hopefully, it will not be the last. Even if it is the only trade the Oilers are a better team than they were this morning.
What was most impressive about this deal is Ken Holland gave away nothing of the current roster to make the players and cap work. It may have cost him a first-round pick, but I think he paid a decent price for two players and to have their cap hit retained.
The fact that the Oilers didn't give up an active player for Henrique and Carrick means that likely two players are going to come out of the lineup and the lines might be juggled a little bit. I don't think we will know what Knoblauch will do with the lines till their first game, but that doesn't mean we can't guess.
My Projected Oilers Lines With Henrique and Carrick
Draisaitl - McDavid - Hyman
Kane - Ryan Nugent-Hopkins - Perry
Foegele - Henrique - McLeod
Holloway - Carrick - Janmark
Now when it comes to this lineup, I think the one thing the Oilers now have is competition within the bottom six. Before the trade, there was one extra player in the bottom six. With the addition of Henrique and Carrick, there are now 3 extra players. Hopefully, this will cause these players to work harder and cause the bottom six to produce more.
The additions of these two players make this a much more balanced and deeper team. Having Henrique at third third-line center makes it so that McLeod can go on the wing. While on the wing he could move up to the top 6 if they wanted him there and then Perry could slide down.
Before today they would have needed McLeod to play center because he was their best option, and then they would have Derek Ryan as 4th line center. The addition of two centers has put players into roles where they are better suited.
Just like before this trade I do expect the lineup to be fluid and to reward players who are playing better. Ryan and Brown aren't in my expected lineup, but if Holloway or Janmark struggle they could find their way back in and that is what you want in your roster, the best players play and if you aren't playing well you don't. This should make the Edmonton Oilers a better team in the long run.