Although the Edmonton Oilers find themselves comfortably in a playoff spot, TSN’s Darren Dreger doesn’t expect GM Peter Chiarelli to make any big splashes, he told TSN 1260 in Edmonton (transcription courtesy of Fan Rag’s Chris Nichols):
“I don’t project that Chiarelli is going to be doing any big game hunting. That’s not to say he’s not listening, and if another defenseman was thrown into the market that the Oilers wouldn’t try and acquire that piece – or perhaps some depth on the wing, or maybe a little bit of insurance at center ice as well.”
Dreger suggests that one area that the Oilers could try to land an upgrade for is rookie Drake Caggiula’s third line center spot. The youngster has fared okay in that role but the belief is that he’s more comfortable on the wing and given his smaller stature (5’9), he’s not an ideal fit down the middle.
[Related: Oilers Depth Chart]
Elsewhere in the Pacific:
- Although he passed over goalies like Ben Bishop and Marc-Andre Fleury to acquire Brian Elliott from St. Louis last summer, Calgary GM Brad Treliving would be wise to reconsider those two options, suggests Jared Clinton of The Hockey News. Elliott has had more down moments than good ones and currently boasts a subpar 2.92 GAA and a .891 SV%. Basically, he’s not the starter of the future to build around. Backup Chad Johnson has fared better (a 2.41 GAA with a .917 SV%) but he isn’t viewed as a long-term starter either while youngster Jon Gillies is scuffling this year as he battles back from an injury-plagued 2015-16 season. The Flames were active on the goalie market last summer and it’s shaping up to be that way again this coming offseason.
- Arizona center Peter Holland was fined just over $3,600 for an unsuspecting punch to Tampa Bay’s Ondrej Palat, the Department of Player Safety announced (Twitter link). The incident occurred on Saturday night and the fine represents the maximum allowable under the CBA.
- San Jose’s Patrick Marleau had quite the third period yesterday. He became only the 12th player in NHL history to score four goals in a single period and was the first to do in nearly 20 years (Mario Lemieux matched that feat on January 26, 1997 against Montreal). As CSN Bay Area’s Kevin Kurz notes, Marleau was dropped down a line prior to the third and clearly the move paid immediate dividends. After a quiet start to the year, Marleau has 16 goals on the season and sits three away from 500 for his career.