Edmonton Oilers acquire Vasili Podkolzin in trade with Canucks

With the collective futures of Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway in query, the Edmonton Oilers used Sunday to seek out some potential options.

It began once they obtained ahead Vasili Podkolzin in a commerce with the Vancouver Canucks that noticed a 2025 fourth-round choose from the Ottawa Senators go within the different course. Hours later, they traded defenseman Cody Ceci and a 2025 third-round choose to the San Jose Sharks in alternate for prospect defenseman Ty Emberson.

Every thing the Oilers entrance workplace did Sunday comes days after the St. Louis Blues have been aggressive by signing Broberg and Holloway to supply sheets. Broberg and Holloway, who’re each restricted free brokers, wanted new offers for an Oilers workforce that was already greater than $350,000 over the cap.

With the Blues signing Broberg and Holloway final Tuesday, the Oilers had till this upcoming Tuesday to clear the mandatory house to retain the duo or danger shedding them whereas receiving draft picks within the type of compensation.

Broberg, a defenseman, obtained a two-year contract value $4.58 million yearly whereas Holloway, a ahead, was given a two-year deal value $2.29 million yearly. Ought to the Oilers decline their proper of first refusal, the Blues should give the Oilers a second-round choose for Broberg and a third-round choose for Holloway.

Buying and selling for Podkolzin, the No. 10 choose in 2019, gave the Oilers a 23-year-old ahead who’s below contract for 2 years at a team-friendly worth of $1 million yearly. It might additionally hypothetically current the Oilers with a Holloway alternative if essential.

Whereas buying and selling Ceci allowed the Oilers to maneuver on from the veteran defenseman, who has one 12 months left on his contract at $3.25 million whereas including Emberson, who has a 12 months remaining at $950,000.

It is a transfer that allowed the Oilers to avoid wasting $2.3 million in cap house however are nonetheless projected to be $5.925 million over the cap as soon as even when they have been to match the Blues’ supply sheets to Broberg and Holloway, in accordance with PuckPedia.

Maneuvering their monetary state of affairs grew to become an immediate precedence for the Oilers after they lose Recreation 7 of the Stanley Cup remaining. Lower than two weeks after their season ended, the Oilers added forwards Viktor Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner whereas signing defenseman Josh Brown. In addition they introduced again forwards Connor Brown, Adam Henrique, Mattias Janmark and Corey Perry along with defenseman Troy Stecher.

However with the Blues’ supply sheets, it left the Oilers attempting to determine how they’d have the ability to afford at the very least one, if not, each gamers whereas the Blues have greater than $7 million in cap house by comparability.

Though Podkolzin hasn’t fairly hit the heights anticipated of the No. 10 choose, he would offer the Oilers with one other bottom-six ahead choice on a team-friendly deal at $1 million yearly over the subsequent two years. He had two factors in 19 video games with the Canucks final season whereas scoring 15 targets and 28 factors in 44 video games with their AHL affiliate. For his profession, Podkolzin has 18 targets and 35 factors in 137 video games.

Shifting on from Ceci means the Oilers nonetheless have seven defensemen below contract with Emberson, who had 10 factors in 30 video games for the Sharks, incomes $950,000 as he enters the ultimate 12 months of his contract.

As for the Sharks, buying Ceci offers them one other veteran in an offseason that has already seen them add Carl Grundstrom, Barclay Goodrow, Tyler Toffoli, Jake Walman and Alexander Wennberg to a roster that simply added the No. 1 choose on this summer time’s draft in former Boston College heart Macklin Celebrini together with the No. 4 choose of the 2023 draft in former Boston Faculty heart Will Smith.