Insider Links Oilers To 2 Ducks Forwards

As the Edmonton Oilers struggle since their 16-game win streak came to an end, the need for an upgrade gets more urgent. The feeling is that more than one upgrade is needed this season as well and Elliotte Friedman said that the Oilers are looking for forward depth.

Friedman links Adam Henrique and Sam Carrick, but adds that he is unsure whether they would like to add both or just one. Henrique is an obvious target for the Oilers since he has proven time and time again that he can hang in the top-six and produce offensively. It just so happens that he is also a strong two-way player on top of that. The Oilers need a top-six winger and Henrique not only provides that, he is great on draws and is a rental.

Since the center market is weak and some teams will view Henrique as a starter, it will likely cost the Oilers their first-round pick. Ideally, this will be a late first-round pick and not come into play for multiple years anyways, so it would be an easier decision to make for the Oilers to execute on a deal.

The Oilers are missing a bit of grit and scoring in their bottom-six. The team recently added Corey Perry who brings both, but the fourth line just hasn't been very successful at all lately. Carrick doesn't add a ton of scoring, but his eight goals on the season is equal to Connor Brown, Derek Ryan, and Mattias Janmark combined. Carrick adds a very physical element and would not only be cheap to acquire since he's a fourth liner, he has a cheap cap hit and is a right-shot depth center the Oilers need. If they could get both, the team would be happy with what they did up front.

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