November 18, 2024 | 4:15pm ET
TheFourthPeriod.com
OILERS EVALUATING MARKET FOR DEFENCEMAN?
Oilers GM Stan Bowman
With Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl back up to form this past week, helping the Edmonton Oilers go 3-0-1 in their last four games, the club is back in the playoff picture in the still-early going of the season.
As the team improves on the ice, management is exploring the trade market for potential moves to further upgrade its roster this season.
One area the Oilers are expected to address, at some point this season, is the defence.
During the Monday edition of “The Latest” on TFP, David Pagnotta suggested the Oilers can get a first-hand look at veteran blueliner David Savard when the team faces off against the Canadiens in Montreal.
“David Savard it is in the lineup for the Montreal Canadiens and he’s going to be a target for a number of teams, including the Edmonton Oilers,” Pagnotta said. “Yes, I think the Oilers and (GM) Stan Bowman are looking around to see what their options are going to be later on in the season.
“They’re last in the NHL right now on the PK, they want to certainly improve that element, but they’re also cognizant of the time of year it is financially. They’ve got some cap space, they’ve got a little bit of wiggle room right now, but it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re going to spend it. I think they’re strategically looking at options. I believe David Savard will be one of those options that they look at, because I think they definitely want to bring in somebody with physicality and a defensive mind on that blueline.”
Savard, 34, is in the final year of a four-year, $14 million contract and does not own any no-trade protection. He received a $500,000 signing bonus this season and is owed a base salary of just $2.3 million. The Canadiens can also retain a portion of his salary, up to half of it, in a trade if the right offer presents itself.
Bowman and the Oilers do not appear to be zeroing in on a trade right now, and are compiling targets for the coming months, but Savard’s style fits the type of defenceman they appear to be interested in adding.
“I think (Savard is) going to be a target and a player like him is going to be somebody that the Oilers would like to add between now, if they can find the right move, and the March 7 trade deadline,” Pagnotta added.
The Oilers have their second-round draft pick and third-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft available if they decide to move either selection, along with their 2026 first-round pick.
Edmonton may also pursue other available defenceman this season, including Ivan Provorov of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Marcus Pettersson of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Cam Fowler of the Anaheim Ducks.