|
G63: Oilers @ Avalanche - Trade Deadline - Oilers Acquire Kulak, Brassard |
|
|
|
|
|
Oilers Acquire Derick Brassard
Holland has made one more move in veteran centre Derick Brassard. Brassard at 34 years of age is a left shot centre who has won 158 of 358 draws and has 6 goals and 10 assists in 31 games with the Flyers this season.
Edmonton was looking for another bottom six forward who could assist at 5 on 5 and on the PK and simply add depth in case of injuries. Brassard is still a decent player though he hasn't spent any time in Philly this season on the PK. Brassard should slot ahead of Devin Shore on the fourth line.
This does leave some interesting questions in regards to what the Oilers will ice once everyone is healthy. Right now I'm going to throw this out for your consideration:
McLeod-McDavid-Yamamoto
Kane-Draisaitl-Yamamoto
Foegele-RNH-Hyman
Ryan-Brassard-Kassian
Nurse-Ceci
Keith-Bouchard
Kulak-Barrie
Oilers Acquire Brett Kulak
UPDATE
Full trade is a 2nd (this year's if it doesn't go in the Keith trade ornext years if it does) and Lagesson for Kulak with Montreal retaining half of his salary. That gave the Oilers the cap space to bring in Brassard as well. Overall that is a good move and makes the second round pick a more understandable offer.
We have one move to discuss. The Oilers have acquired Brett Kulak from the Canadiens for William Lagesson and a 2023 2nd round pick. Kulak is a solid add for the Edmonton Oilers back end. He is a strong defensive player who helps his team at 5 on 5 in terms of possession. He has averaged over 18 minutes a game this season with the Canadiens and is an excellent penalty killer. He makes 1.85 million dollars and is a UFA at the end of this season.
The price for Kulak is an overpay and exactly what we have come to expect from Ken Holland but some people are valuing Lagesson far too much. Lagesson is a 7th defenseman at best who the nicest thing you can say about him is that he isn't noticeable when he is on the ice. Lagesson is below the likes of Nurse, Keith, Niemelainen, Broberg, and now Kulak on the depth chart. Lagesson is also a free agent this summer. Ultimately this deal is a 2nd for Kulak. Still high, but Lagesson is the cap dump which allows the Oilers to make this move.
Ultimately this is probably the best case scenario for what Edmonton could have added for their blueline. Kulak is a strong defender which is exactly what the Oilers need to help take away some of the tougher minutes that Keith has struggled with. He also gives the team one more strong option on their penalty kill which has improved as of late but was struggling mightily. In Montreal Kulak was playing top four time but will likely slot in on the third pairing with one of Bouchard or Barrie.
---
It's going to likely end up being a quiet and disappointing day for Oilers fans. As of the time of writing this there are just under 5 hours remaining before the end of the Trade Deadline and so far the Oilers have done absolutely nothing, nor are we hearing Edmonton tied to many of the available players.
Right now there are only a couple of names I am hearing Edmonton tied to. We have discussed Carson Soucy at length as a depth option on the blueline. Seattle is in full sell mode and acquiring picks left and right but it's unclear what exactly it would cost. Somehow the team acquired a second round pick for Lauzon which concerns me for a trade to acquire Soucy as we know Holland will always pay top price. Soucy would be an upgrade on the third pairing for the Oilers but really won't move the needle much.
I still like the idea of adding Justin Braun but word from Philly is they want to help him out by facilitating a trade to a contender and sadly I can't imagine Edmonton being on that list.
Another name that has popped up is Zdeno Chara. The big man at 45 is still playing NHL games, currently with the Islanders. Chara is averaging roughly 18 minutes a game and ranks 1st among Islanders defenders with 95 hits. Is Chara still the player he once was? Not even close but he still brings an element to the blue line that the Oilers lack and in a sheltered role he could have his uses. The best thing about Chara could be the fact that he is only making 750,000 this season.
Other than these names I don't see Edmonton adding much. Guys like Dean Kukkan, Andrew Cogliano, and a couple others are out there but again, purely depth moves. I don't see a goalie coming to Edmonton for a couple reasons; first is that Mikko Koskinen is actually giving the Oilers strong minutes right now and playing like a starter... hopefully they can milk that from him over the next few months. The other reason is there simply are not any names out there that would guarantee Edmonton more success than what they are running.
As any deals unfold, I will update you all right here.
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»