Edmonton Oilers General Manager Ken Holland hinted at a strategic approach to potential trades during a recent appearance on the “Bob McCown” Podcast. Responding to questions about the team’s eight-game winning streak, Holland emphasized the importance of finding the right trading partner to enhance the roster.
Holland explained:
“Number one, would you like to do things to make your team better? Absolutely. Now, you have to factor in that you have to find a trading partner. Trading partners you usually find in February, you know, the two to four weeks prior to the trade deadline.”
Holland pointed to historical trends and while there are teams making moves right now, the bigger trades aren’t getting done at this point in the season. He acknowledged the limited activity in the trade market and hinted that there’s no immediate solution coming to the roster via trade. The idea that this is the team that has to get the Oilers into the playoffs, it explained his urgency to jolt the club by making a coaching change some 15 games ago.
Saying there were players underachieving under former coach Jay Woodcroft, the Oilers couldn’t afford to wait to make some kind of move.
Expect the Oilers To Be Active In Trade Talks in the New Year
As the trade deadline approaches, Holland plans to intensify efforts to fill holes on the roster. That will mean working the phones to identify potential trading partners when teams are ready to start selling. The club is tight to the salary cap, but leading up to February, there may be whispers as far as Edmonton is concerned.
The timeline gives the Oilers a good chance to look at Calvin Pickard in net. He gets the start versus the Florida Panthers on Saturday and some solid consecutive starts from him helps the team a great deal. It allows coach Kris Knoblauch to manage the games for Skinner, while also giving the Oilers time to assess the future of Jack Campbell.
For now, don’t expect a big move. Teams aren’t ready and the Oilers aren’t doing much more than calling around. When the market changes, Holland is likely to get a lot more aggressive.
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