The Edmonton Oilers have been on a run of some quality hockey lately, but in a few critical matchups against some playoff opponents, their lack of toughness showed to be a need.
Oilers insider Bob Stauffer has been hinting for a while now that Edmonton may add a bottom six forward with energy.
Now, analyst Kurt Leavins is seconding that belief in his latest article in the Edmonton Journal, saying that Stan Bowman will be acquiring some grit via trade at the deadline this year.
“There are a few clubs that have the ability to lean on Edmonton physically and gain an edge that way. Florida. Vegas. And we also saw evidence of that against the Kings on Saturday… Given that there is a decent chance the Oilers will have to go through Los Angeles in the playoffs again this year (and Vegas, for that matter), this is something that Stan Bowman is going to need to address sooner or later.”
The Oilers bottom six got pushed around by some playoff opponents in Florida and Los Angeles, showing some weaknesses in the bottom six that other teams can exploit in a 7 game series.
The skill of the Oilers superstars w can still lead them to a win, but every line needs to be at their best for a Stanley Cup team – and specifically the fourth line currently doesn’t have an identity.