Trade Deadline Overview

Another trade deadline comes and goes. At the start of the season I felt like this deadline would be a terrible one due to so many teams would be up against the cap but boy was I wrong. Some shocking moves during the day and now that it is at a close I will review the moves that the Oilers did before the deadline.


Ilya Bryzgalov to the Wild for a 4th round pick in 2014

It seemed as if Bryz would not be here next season so Edmonton ended up offering him to the Wild. In the end the two sides came into agreement and Bryz was shipped off. He did well in his time here but MacT knew that he would not sign so he ended up flipping him for a mid round pick which is fine by me. I never expected any teams to be interested in Bryz the first place. That opened up a goalie spot which led to the next trade.

Viktor Fasth acquired for a 3rd round pick in 2015 and a 5th round pick in 2014

This is a pretty good trade for Edmonton. They got another goalie who at the very least can provide solid goaltending while splitting with Scrivens. Also the price was nothing substantial at all which also makes this trade a good one. It seems as if MacT has hopefully resolved our goalie problem now. It makes it better to solve this now because he can concentrate on other problems than our goalie now. My only concern is the lack of experience but I have confidence that they will be a solid duo.

Hemsky (at 50%) to the Senators for a 3rd round in 2015 and a 5th round in 2014

This is a trade that probably benefits Hemsky the most. He has provided great service to the team but both the player and GM knew it is time to move on for both parties. The value some may feel is very low but thats what happens when a player becomes very injury prone and does not produce like he should their value will diminish quickly like Hemsky's did. In the end I am fine with this trade and I hope that Hemmer is able to succeed in Ottawa. I think his final game helped his case for Ottawa!

Nick Schultz to the Blue Jackets for a 5th round pick in 2014

Nick Schultz who originally came over in the Gilbert trade looked like we got a good defensemen but slowly he regressed. He had become a bottom pairing defensemen who we over played quite a bit at times. I feel like he is a solid 6th defensemen and will be a good trade for Columbus. It is good that we got something for him because we were not resigning him. Also this gives a chance for Klefbom (who has played well via various reports) to get some NHL action.

This has been a decent deadline for the Oilers. They were able to solve their goaltending problems and push it to the side. They also got rid of some of the players that they were not going to sign. I did not expect MacT to fill any holes that we have because most of our holes that need filling require major pieces that most teams are unwilling to trade during the season. In terms of the rest of the season I hope that Edmonton is able to finish out the season with a strong performance.