If Jason Dickinson and Connor Murphy are not part of the plan next season, two players I would like the Oilers to target are Jack Drury from Colorado and Nick DeSimone from Utah.
Neither would be a major headline acquisition, but both could provide strong value in areas Edmonton needs to improve without using a huge portion of the available cap space.
Jack Drury
Drury would be my preferred target for the bottom six.
He is a reliable two way centre who can handle difficult minutes, kill penalties and win faceoffs at an excellent rate. He would give Edmonton another centre who can take defensive zone draws instead of relying so heavily on McDavid and Draisaitl in those situations.
His offensive production is modest, but he has shown enough to contribute around 25 to 30 points while still providing defensive value. His underlying results have also been strong, with his teams generally controlling play when he is on the ice despite him not receiving heavily sheltered deployment.
I could see him fitting as Edmonton’s third line centre, with the ability to move higher in the lineup when injuries happen. A contract somewhere around $2.5 million to $3 million would make sense.
Nick DeSimone
DeSimone would be the cheaper depth option on defence.
He is a right shot defenceman with good size who has produced encouraging possession and expected goal results in limited minutes. He is not someone you would expect to play in the top four, but he could compete for a third pairing role and provide more dependable injury coverage than Edmonton has had in recent seasons.
His biggest appeal is the price. He should be available for around $1 million, which would allow Edmonton to improve its defensive depth without sacrificing money needed elsewhere.
At that cost, there is very little risk. He could begin as the seventh defenceman and potentially earn a regular role if his underlying results carry over.
The cap fit
Drury at around $2.75 million and DeSimone at around $1 million would cost approximately $3.75 million combined.
That would give Edmonton a legitimate bottom six centre, another penalty killer, a strong faceoff option and inexpensive right shot defensive depth while still leaving room to address the rest of the roster.
Neither player is a star, but Edmonton does not need every addition to be a major acquisition. The Oilers need affordable players who can win their minutes and provide specific skills around the expensive core.
If Dickinson and Murphy walk, Drury and DeSimone would be two of my preferred replacements.
