Eastern Team Has Three Defensemen The Oilers Should Target

The Carolina Hurricanes added veteran Nathan Beaulieu on a professional tryout agreement (PTO) this puts the team at 10 NHL-level defensemen under contract. The Hurricanes will likely make a move before the NHL season begins to thin out their blueline to a more comfortable level.

The Oilers will be looking to add to their defensive group. If they engage with the Hurricanes in a deal three players who would make sense to target are Brady Skjei, Dylan Coughlan, and Brett Pesce.

Brady Skjei the former Ranger is a 29 year old left handed defenseman who was selected in the first round in 2012. Since then he has gone on to play 529 total games. Skjei is a responsible two-way defenseman who can be a good compliment to several different styles of players.

Dylan Coughlan is the youngest player on this list at just 25 years old. He is a right handed defenseman who has played 105 total NHL games. He is more of a defensive defenseman that would need an offensive compliment to play with. He fits the Oilers timeline to compete better than these other options but is less proven.

Finally, we have Brett Pesce. Pesce will likely be the most familiar name on this list as is the most talked about in the mainstream hockey media. The 28-year-old has been with the Hurricanes since 2015-16. He is a two-way defenseman who focuses on the defensive side of the game but can put up points when needed. Pesce fits pretty well with the Oilers' timeline to compete but would be the most expensive option both to trade for and as far as his contract goes.

While all of these players would be a great upgrade to the Oilers defensive group they can likely only acquire one. The front office will have to balance cost and production when choosing which player to potentially acquire.