Anaheim Ducks the ideal trade partner for Western Canadian contender

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Mike Armenti
August 21, 2023 (10:31)

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The Edmonton Oilers are believed to be in the market for some additional veteran leadership before the start of the regular season. The Oilers appear to be right on the cusp, looking for the right piece to put them over the top. One writer for The Athletic believes that he knows who that player is.

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"

The Oilers currently have just $3.5M in available cap space, but still need to sign restricted free agent defenseman Evan Bouchard to a new contract. In order to pull off a move for Henrique, the Oilers will have to either move someone else out or send back enough salary to Anaheim to offset Henrique's cap hit.

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 last season.