COLUMBUS — They all shook hands, met the new guys, and took a twirl at the morning skate together. And before their pregame meal had concluded the Edmonton Oilers learned of yet another transaction, with defenceman Troy Stecher coming over from Arizona.
As Oilers general manager Ken Holland all but concluded his 2024 trade deadline work a full 24 hours in advance of Friday’s 3 p.m. ET cut-off, captain Connor McDavid looked around the dressing room at the crew he hopes to spend the next four months with.
One thing he saw was seven centremen among the 12 forwards dressing for Thursday’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets (7 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. MT on Sportsnet West), a huge luxury come playoff time.
“It means we’re very strong in the faceoff circle, and usually centremen are pretty smart players. Seven centremen in the top 12, you can’t have enough hockey IQ on your team,” said McDavid, speaking before the announcement that the Oilers had acquired the depth defenceman Stecher (and a seventh-round draft pick) for a fourth-rounder in 2027.
“Adam (Henrique) is having a career year, and has been having good years back, to back, to back. Scoring goals (18 this season), killing penalties, and doing lots of really good things,” McDavid continued. “Sam (Carrick) is just a hard player to play against. He makes it difficult for other teams. I know when we were in Anaheim, he makes for a long night on the faceoff dot.”
The arrival of the two former Anaheim Ducks sent a ripple through the Oilers roster, beginning with Dylan Holloway joining Sam Gagner on assignment to AHL Bakersfield.
Henrique set up at the morning skate on the left wing of centre Leon Draisaitl, with Evander Kane moving over to the right side. Meanwhile, Carrick will centre the fourth line with wingers Derek Ryan and Mattias Janmark.
With McDavid between Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman, and a third line of Ryan McLeod between Warren Foegele and Corey Perry, we’re starting to see some identity in the Oilers units, with 22 games left to forge some chemistry.
Connor Brown was the 13th forward, an inevitability for the struggling winger, who has zero goals and five assists in 52 games this season.
Perry, the fourth addition to this lineup since January, played with both new guys in Anaheim.
“Tremendous person, fantastic guy, and on the ice he’s a competitor,” he said of Henrique. “He’s got that attitude that he wants the puck and he’s going to do anything to have it.”
Although Henrique, who will wear the No. 19, begins as a Top 6 left winger, it’s almost a certainty that he’ll also see some time centring the third line over the remainder of the Oilers’ season.
As for Carrick, who dons Doug Weight’s old No. 39, he’s a scrappy checker who admits that he likes to “get under guys’ skin.” That will make the Oilers harder to play against, a quality that is near and dear to Perry’s heart.
“Everybody knows in the playoffs, the ice shrinks a little bit. It feels like it gets a little bit smaller,” Perry began. “Sometimes you’re going to get the nice, pretty play. But most of the times, if you look where the goals are scored… a lot of goals are scored in that 15-20 foot area (around the net). Some people have to go there.”
“Also, just be hard to play against,” he continued. “That’s what I think Sam’s going to bring — that little edge to the lineup.”
Carrick is that bottom-of-the-lineup player who has always had to work for everything he gets. He has 62 AHL playoff games under his belt but zero in the NHL — because he’s spent most of his career in the post-competitive Ducks era.
“I’m still kind of making sure that this is all real,” Carrick smiled. “It’s super special. You know, I’ve had a lot of ups and downs in my career, and a lot of hard work to get here. This is what you work for. This opportunity.”
Edmonton’s fourth line has lacked identity all season long, and to our eye, using Janmark all over the Middle 6 of this lineup has robbed the fourth unit of a left winger who was acquired specifically for that spot.
Now, with Carrick in the middle and a defined trio of adept penaltykillers and checkers there, the Oilers have a fourth line that looks and plays the way a fourth line is supposed to.
“It takes a lot to win. It takes a whole team, and a lot of depth,” Carrick said. “This team already has tons of depth, and I’m looking forward to hopefully adding to that. The PK is going to be huge in playoffs. A lot of one-goal games, a lot of high-pressure situations in the D zone.”
Now, an Oilers roster that has the best winning percentage in the NHL since Nov. 7 (.745) becomes a little deeper, and a little bit more balanced.
With Stecher slotting in as a No. 7, that accomplishes the goal of counting on Philip Broberg as a No. 8 — or the guy they’ll call on when the second injury arrives on the blue line. Not the first one.