Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Desperate times could be exactly the phrase necessary to describe the situation
 the Edmonton Oilers are in following the news that defender Andrej Sekera
would be out indefinitely with a torn Achilles tendon. With a defense that
already looked porous without the 32-year-old Slovakian for much of the 2017-18
 season, the Oilers are in a situation where they';re likely going to have to
make a move to fill this whole sooner than later.Edmonton Oilers'; defender
Andrej Sekera (Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports)

Whether that move comes internally or externally is unclear right now,. There
are, however, multiple free agent options for the team, such as Brandon
Davidson, Toby Enstrom, Luca Sbisa, Paul Martin, Jason Garrison, Alexei Emelin,
 Kevin Bieksa, Kyle Quincey, Cody Franson and Johnny Oduya.

The team also has a young bluechip prospect on defense in Evan Bouchard who was
 selected 10th overall in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. Still, the team may want to
 explore their other options before forcing yet another young player to step in
 right away and try to make an impact.Related: Oilers Options to Replace Sekera
 on Defense

The Oilers have done that multiple times in recent years with Taylor Hall, Ryan
 Nugent-Hopkins, Nail Yakupov, Leon Draisaitl, Connor McDavid and Jesse
Puljujarvi each burning a year off of their rookie contracts just months after
being drafted. While the team didn';t keep Draisaitl and Puljujarvi on their
NHL roster for the entirety of their rookie seasons, the damage was still done
in terms of contract length.

While desperate measures could apply to the Oilers using Bouchard to fill in on
 defense early, it could also apply to the team finding an unusual trade
partner to strike a deal with to bolster their defensive group prior to the
start of the season if the free agent market doesn';t appeal to them.

That partner would be a familiar one for Oilers'; president and general manager
 Peter Chiarelli, though that familiarity is also what classifies this partner
as unusual.Bruins and Oilers Could Strike a Trade

When Chiarelli was fired as the general manager of the Bruins, it appeared that
 there were certain bridges that were burned that seemed unlikely to ever be
mended. Just three seasons later, however, the Bruins and Oilers could be in a
position to work out a trade.

There were rumors early on in the 2018 offseason that linked Boston and
Edmonton together with the 10th overall pick, defenders Oskar Klefbom and Torey
 Krug together in various capacities. These rumors and reports ultimately never
 amounted to anything substantial but the possibility created a stir
nonetheless.Boston Bruins defenseman Torey Krug (Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY
Sports)

Fast-forward two months and the Bruins and Oilers could once again be linked
with defense as the focus of the discussion. This time, however, the players in
 question wouldn';t be anything nearly as substantial as Krug, Klefbom or the
10th overall pick which would eventually become Bouchard.

If the Oilers are looking to make a move to shore up their defense, the Bruins
could be prime for the picking with right-shot defenders Adam McQuaid and Kevan
 Miller both possibly available via the trade market. There';s also the
possibility that Matt Grzlecyk or even Torey Krug could be available, but such
a deal would have more costly ramifications for the Bruins at the end of the
day.Bruins Have the Defensive Depth

When looking at the Bruins depth chart, the team has eight clear NHL defenders
on their roster:

Bruins NHL Defense Depth Chart

Left Defense

Right Defense

Zdeno Chara

Charlie McAvoy

Torey Krug

Brandon Carlo

John Moore

Kevan Miller

Matt Grzelcyk

Adam McQuaid

This list, of course, doesn';t take into account the Bruins willingness to play
 defenders on their off-hand if necessary, which would likely mean Moore and
Miller could see times on the right and left-side respectively if the situation
 calls for it. This also doesn';t include players like Urho Vaakanainen, Jeremy
 Lauzon or, to a lesser extent, Jakub Zboril, who will all be competing for
jobs out of camp.

All of this is to say that the Bruins have a plethora of NHL-ready defenders
and if the Oilers are looking to patch things up quickly, Chiarelli';s
familiarity with players like McQuaid and Miller could help them in the
short-term.Kevan Miller, Boston Bruins, Dec. 2, 2017 (Amy Irvin / The Hockey
Writers)

Of note is that Sekera is a left-shot defender and while McQuaid and Miller are
 both right-shot defenders, the Oilers currently project to play veteran
blue-liner Kris Russell on the right-side as a natural left-shot defender. If
the Oilers slide Russell back to the left side, they could fill in the opening
with McQuaid or Miller, the former having one year remaining on his contract
that carries a $2.75 million cap hit, and the latter with two years left and a
$2.5 million cap hit.McQuaid the Logical Trade Chip

Assuming the Bruins would prefer to keep Miller under contract given how well
he';s played in recent years whenever his number is called, McQuaid is the more
 realistic of the two to be dealt.

For the Bruins, the optimal scenario here would be to move McQuaid to clear up
some of their log-jam on defense, get something for an expiring contract and
make their intentions a little more clear heading into the season.

For the Oilers, this would give them a legitimate option on the right side who
has experience killing penalties and playing a physical brand of hockey. If
there';s any one word that can be used to describe McQuaid (other than warrior)
 it would have to be loyal. No player defends their teammates quite like
McQuaid does and that could go a long way in helping the Oilers out of this
jam.Boston Bruins defenseman Adam McQuaid (Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports)

To be clear, nobody is saying McQuaid will step into the Oilers'; depth chart
and create such a huge impact that parades will be thrown. This level of deal
is nothing worth singing home about as it would be a quick-fix for Edmonton
without long-term repercussions.

The Oilers have seven draft picks in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft and while
they';re missing a fifth-round selection, they do have two third-round
selections courtesy of the New York Islanders. A third-round pick is an
interesting cost in such a deal as McQuaid';s lack of offensive ability may
give Oilers'; fans pause, as could McQuaid';s history with injuries in his own
right.

With that said, worse players are regularly dealt for a higher premium by the
time the trade deadline rolls around. If the Bruins wait until then, the cost
could be higher, the return could be worse and the season could already be
lost. A fourth-round pick wouldn';t be as favorable for the Bruins but the
cap-space flexibility gained could be helpful.

If the Bruins are looking to maximize their value on an expiring,
bottom-pairing defender while also clearing up some cap space and the Oilers
are interested, this minor deal could benefit both sides.

 

The post Can Bruins Capitalize on Oilers'; Injury Trouble? appeared first on
The Hockey Writers.

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheHockeyWrite...
--- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
 * Origin: TequilaMockingbird Online - Toms River, NJ (1:266/404)