OILERS HELD CAP-TIVE
Holland chips in despite cash woes
When the Toronto Maple Leafs announced they acquired Nick Foligno on Sunday, the team that hasn't won a Stanley Cup since 1967 effectively announced that they were going for it.
So what did Edmonton Oilers general manager Ken Holland announce when he traded a conditional fourth-round draft pick to obtain veteran defenceman Dmitry Kulikov and his 700-plus games of experience from the New Jersey Devils?
It certainly did not announce that Edmonton was also going for it. Not even close.
The Oilers GM wasn't in a position to make those kinds of moves from a salary cap and lack of assets perspective.
In free agency, the off-season and at next year's NHL trade deadline, that will almost certainly be dramatically different. And Holland will certainly have a lot better idea of exactly what he has here with what happens in the interim.
But for this season, Holland was determined to do at least one significant deal to help his team. And he did that.
Holland needed to send a message to this group that he was delivering them someone to help out down the stretch.
Holland wasn't able to get a second-line left-winger or a third-line centre, but adding a second-pairing defenceman makes a statement to the team that they earned the lineup upgrade for going 22-9-1 after a brutal start to put themselves in the playoff picture.
“The players have played real hard and it's always nice for them to be able to feel there's some help coming through the door, so absolutely,” he said.
“As a manager, you like to pitch in a little bit.”
Holland was asked if he expected to be able to do more in future deadline situations as he gets out of salary cap jail to some extent next year.
“Yes,” he said.
“That's the hope.”
With COVID -19 shutting down the regular season last year and a highly disappointing one-win exit from the Qualifying Series against the Chicago Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup Hub City playoffs in their own arena, Holland didn't learn as much about his team as he hoped to.
He'll be getting out of salary cap jail, to some extent, at the end of this season. So Holland should be able to swing for the fences and help more at that point.
Maybe a lot more if he gets Oscar Klefbom back into the fold.
With Klefbom having his shoulder surgery and currently residing back in Edmonton, I asked Holland if he knew yet if his top pairing defenceman had made a decision if he wanted to continue his career.
“I do not,” he said.
Holland said he talked to Klefbom when he returned to town after surgery in Cleveland.
“I told Klef that I'd talk to him as we got into June and July to see how he was doing,” he said.
“Obviously, I have to make decisions about our team heading into the expansion draft and who we protect and also about free agency as to whether he's thinking about playing next year or not.”
Holland says he has a pretty good handle on the Seattle expansion draft as it currently relates to the Oilers.
“It's pretty straightforward. We have the players to meet the rules of exposure so I think we're going to be fine.
“Obviously, I'm going to be watching our team for the rest of the regular season and hopefully, the playoffs and make some decisions, get information on Oscar Klefbom, and to watch and evaluate before I submit our protection list.
“We have some players who are obviously unrestricted free agents that I want to (protect) and make some of those decisions moving along,” he said, referring to Ryan Nugent-hopkins, Adam Larsson and Tyson Barrie.
I doubt if many in the hockey world believe his one move to acquire Kulikov makes the Oilers a favourite to come out of the Canadian division and advance to the final four of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
But it might be the one piece that will help Edmonton get past Winnipeg in the expected first round series against the Jets.
What Holland announced was probably revealed in the conditional part of giving up the draft pick to New Jersey.
The fourth-round selection becomes a third-round pick if the Oilers advance to the second round.
With Toronto's deadline deals, neither the Jets nor Oilers should be looking past that almost certain first round series. But it should be one whale of a series.
The players have played real hard and it’s always nice for them to be able to feel there’s some help coming through the door ...