Evander Kane‘s Cap Space Give Edmonton Oilers Cap Space To Add
David Staples of the Edmonton Oilers: Staples writes that the Edmonton Oilers will have ample cap space once the team puts Evander Kane on LTIR. Kane had abdominal surgery and now just went through knee surgery, and GM Stan Bowman will look to add at the deadline.
Staples believes the Oilers need to add more punch to their lineup, especially with Kane out of the lineup. He writes to add two players similar to Vasili Podkolzin to bolster the lineup. Edmonton wants to add, especially upfront, similar to the moves they made last year with Adam Henrique and Corey Perry. Not to mention, the Oilers are looking for a right-shot top-four defenseman.
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Colorado Avalanche Will Look To Feel Needs at the Deadline
Evan Rawal of the Denver Post: Rawal predicts how the Colorado Avalanche will handle the NHL Trade Deadline. He expects the Avalanche, under GM Chris MacFarland, to look to add depth on defense, especially someone who can be good on the penalty kill. Colorado wants to win in the playoffs, and they need defense because the players they have on the team right now are not those guys. The question is, do they go into the rental market similar to the Sean Walker deal last year, or are they looking for a player with a term?
In addition, Rawal notes that the Avalanche still needs depth in the forward position. Even though they have Casey Mittelstadt, having a player like Yanni Gourde to slot behind Mittelstadt or take reps at the second-line center position would be a good fit. If Gourde is not available, does Colorado look at Brandon Tanev?
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Winnipeg Jets Prioritizing Defense at the Deadline
Murat Ates of the Athletic: Ates writes now that Dylan Samberg is returning to the Winnipeg Jets lineup changes the way they put their pairs together. But it allows the restricted free agent to potentially get a nice long-term deal this summer where he could be a staple on this Jets defense corps moving forward.
The Jets defense corps has been ravaged by injuries again this season as they continue to use the next-man-up mentality to win games. However, the expectation is that GM Kevin Cheveldayoff will want to fill that position by the trade deadline. As Ates writes, adding someone to the top four like Rasmus Ristolainen, Marcus Pettersson, and David Savard, would allow others to slot into their right positions.
Adding that defenseman who has a little term would allow the Jets to have stability in their top four moving forward.
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