Although the Edmonton Oilers got back into the win column Saturday with a victory over the New York Rangers, it seems the club’s front office is still considering bringing in reinforcements to help the team take another step this season.
According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Oilers are looking into adding another forward or two to their mix to help offset the loss of winger Evander Kane.
“One thing I do think the Oilers are looking at is just some depth forwards who are edgy, or can grind a little bit,” Friedman said Saturday during Hockey Night in Canada’s "32 Thoughts" segment.
“I think there's a feeling since Evander Kane went out that they're a lot easier to play against, and I do think the Oilers are looking to see — they're tight on the cap — can they find a budget player or two that can make a difference in some of their forward depth?”
Kane is set to miss three to four months after his left wrist was cut by a skate blade in a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning earlier this month. The winger — who had 13 points through 14 games this season, which still ranks fifth among all Oilers scorers — was transported to hospital the night of the incident and underwent immediate wrist surgery.
Since the Nov. 9 game that saw Kane forced out of the lineup, the Oilers have gone 3-4-0 and have been held to two goals or fewer in four of those seven contests.
Through the first quarter of the 2022-23 season, Edmonton ranks 12th in the league with 3.33 goals per game, and 13th with 31.9 shots per game over that span.
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