Edmonton Oilers linked to 14-year NHL veteran

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Cooper Godin
August 20, 2023 (2:04 PM)

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There's no question that the Edmonton Oilers would like to add some much needed depth to their roster, especially players with several years of experience in the NHL.

Oilers General Manager Ken Holland has reportedly signed Brandon Sutter and Sam Gagner to professional try-out contracts (PTO), which could help the team's bottom-six, if they're offered contracts for the 2023-24 season.

But the Oilers would like to add someone who could make a bit more of an impact than the two mentioned above and according to Allan Mitchell of The Athletic, Anaheim Ducks forward Adam Henrique would be an ideal fit for Edmonton's roster.

"Henrique of the Anaheim Ducks is close to an ideal candidate. He carries a cap hit of $5.825 million, which could be problematic but is not insurmountable. Henrique plays 35 percent of his five-on-five time versus elites according to Puck IQ. His possession number relative to teammates is strong against all opponents, including elites. Henrique's expected goal share five-on-five (45.4 percent) looks poor, but shines like a diamond (No.1) compared to other Ducks centres"

With Edmonton's current cap situation and still needing to sign restricted free agent defenceman Evan Bouchard, it may be tricky to get a deal done with the Anaheim Ducks. The 33-year-old currently has one year remaining on his contract with a cap hit of $5.825 million.

Henrique, a native of Brantford, Ontario, is coming off the sixth 20+ goal season of his 14-year NHL career. In 62 games, Henrique had 38 points (22 goals, 16 assists), 22 penalty minutes and was a minus-eight.