NHL insider Elliotte Friedman recently reported on OilersNow that Edmonton is directly looking at Ivan Provorov, David Jiricek, and Marcus Pettersson as their top trade targets.
All information surrounding this report lines up, as the Oilers have been connected individually to each defenceman already this year. However, trade talks seem to be heating up.
The Oilers were spotted with scouts in attendance at a recent Blue Jackets and Bruins game, analyzing trade candidates from both teams potentially, but specifically Provorov and Jiricek.
Insider Bob Stauffer reported yesterday that the Oilers may actually end up acquiring an off the radar candidate, someone not lining up with what was previously believed.
Stauffer strongly hinted that the Oilers could acquire a left shot defenceman to play his off-side, primarily a puck mover, and someone with term on their contract.
"At some point, they're adding a defenceman. It's not necessarily going to be a shut-down defenceman, it's not necessarily going to be a right shot defenceman - could be a lefty that plays the right side, and it might not be a guy that's on anyone's radar."
- Bob Stauffer
None of these defenceman fully line up with Friedman's reports, but merging both reports, the closest fit would surely be Ivan Provorov.
Provorov is a 27 year old left-shot defender who entered the league as an offensive defenceman, but has evolved into a two way player that can play both sides.
The Russian blueliner has been a workhorse in his career, and is still relied to play over 20 minutes each night, but Provorov has always produced less than ideal results analytically.
The only other question is when the Oilers will actually act on their trade for a defenceman.
Earlier this year Stan Bowman was reported to be aggressively looking for a trade, but it may be beneficial to wait until the trade deadline and see every player that becomes available, and accrue the most cap space possible.
Oilers fans should hope that Stauffer's report of a totally off the radar candidate holds up, and the front office is able to acquire a perfect fit for their second pair.
