Ahead of Tuesday night’s tilt against the Arizona Coyotes, the Edmonton Oilers were still comfortably sitting in a playoff spot as the team sits in third place in the NHL’s Pacific Division.
Being in a playoff race is certainly a change for the hockey team that hasn’t made it to an NHL postseason since 2006. But despite the Oilers’ fortunes changing, GM Peter Chiarelli says the team’s roster is unlikely to ahead of the NHL’s March 1 trade deadline.
“I really don’t want to delve into that market,” Chiarelli told reporters Tuesday, referring to the possibility of trading young players and prospects for older, pending unrestricted free agents who could help a team out in a playoff run. “I think there are areas that we can tinker with – I think the team deserves it based on that they’re in the (playoff) conversation.”
Team captain Connor McDavid appeared to be delighted with the approach the Oilers’ GM is taking.
“I think it’s a real positive,” he said. “I think everyone can feel safe and can find comfort in the GM and management staff believing in us and I think the guys in the room can definitely feel good about that.”
“If we make the playoffs, I’d be ecstatic because it really helps the development of these players to see what a playoff series or two is like,” Chiarelli said of his young squad while reiterating he doesn’t plan to sacrifice the team’s promising youngsters for an extended playoff run. “I’m not really going to mortgage it heavy this year… from a planning perspective, it doesn’t make sense.”
One area the team has dabbled with in an attempt to improve in the past year is in their backup goaltender position. In July, the team signed Jonas Gustavsson to a one-year deal but he has since been sent to the team’s AHL affiliate. In January, the team recalled Laurent Brossoit from the minors to take Gustavsson’s place.
Brossoit has one win in three games with the Oilers while sporting a respectable 2.80 goals against average and a .919 save percentage. While there are still questions about the position, Chiarelli suggested he is happy to stand pat.
“I haven’t given up on L.B. and the coaching staff and I have talked and he’s going to get a chance.”
The Oilers could use more secondary scoring as it has relied heavily on McDavid and linemate Leon Draisaitl. However, Chiarelli wouldn’t single out players who are underperforming Tuesday.
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“We put pucks on net, we don’t really get those garbage goals off of rebound,” the GM said while adding the team does “over-pass at times.”
The last time the Oilers took a faceoff in a playoff game was in 2006 during the Stanley Cup finals.
“I don’t think we’re quite ready to contend for the (Stanley) Cup,” Chiarelli said, adding the future is impossible to predict as the Oilers’ 2005-2006 season demonstrated.
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“Overall, if you were to ask me at the beginning of the year if we were here at this point, I’d be happy,” he added.
READ MORE: Edmonton Oilers GM says improvement visible in almost every area as team sits atop its division
-with files from Quinn Phillips
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