Oilers Trade Rumors: 4 "Under The Radar" Center Targets Listed

The Edmonton Oilers have slipped a bit of late with three straight losses. They’re looking at a number of specific reinforcements at the trade deadline.  And while a scoring winger to join Leon Draisaitl on the second line is a priority, finding a true center for the bottom-six is another area GM Ken Holland would like to address.

The Oilers have run a number of names through the pivot in the lower half of the lineup this season, including  Mattias Janmark, James Hamblin, Dylan Holloway and now Derek Ryan.

Of course, centers Adam Henrique and Scott Laughton are the names many teams are bidding on right now, but Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic has posited four under-the-radar centers that could help with this need. 

Nic Dowd, Washington Capitals

With an affordable $1.3 million AAV through next season, Dowd would be a nice addition. He has eight goals, 16 points, 58 hits and 57 blocks in 45 games, with 15:27 time on ice per night. He has been out for a couple of games with an upper-body injury and was placed on injured reserve by the Caps, keeping him out at least through Monday's game.

Lars Eller, Pittsburgh Penguins

The former first-rounder is having a pretty decent season in Pittsburgh, and carries a $2.45 million cap hit through next season. He has 10 goals and a +4 rating in 54 games this season playing just over 15 minutes tonight.

Jake Evans, Montreal Canadiens

As Nugent-Bowman notes, Evans has caught the eye of Oilers scouts before, and he'd probably come pretty cheaply. He's under contract for one more year, at a $1.7 million AAV.

Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Seattle Kraken

The Kraken are a team that isn't guaranteed to be a seller at this point, though they are five points back of a Wild Card spot, with several other teams to leapfrog as well.

The 38-year-old Bellemare is a fourth-liner at best, but has been to the Finals twice, and is known as a great teammate. He has five points in 29 games played this season with a +3 rating. With a $750,000 cap hit, even the Oilers can make that fit.

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