Article content

Third-line centre, preferably a right-shot, or a top six left-winger with speed.

Or does Ken Holland swing for both, well-versed in being an NHL general manager over two-plus decades, who realizes players expect their boss to help them at the trade deadline if they’re in the playoff hunt.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Oilers GM Ken Holland working the phones for left-winger and third-line centre ahead of trade deadline Back to video

The Edmonton Oilers GM certainly has Jesse Puljujarvi as his No. 1 chip to play, probably in every phone conversation, because he knows the Finnish right-winger who has 44 points in 43 games for Finnish Liiga’s Karpat, won’t be talked into coming back here, no matter who’s coaching or managing.

Obviously, the Oilers want to pump Puljujarvi’s tires, plus his age, likely telling everybody he’s the best 21-year-old outside the NHL. All fine and good and his stats back home are eye candy, albeit on a bigger sheet where they don’t play the same style of hockey.

But to offer Puljujarvi and a second-round pick this June in a play for, say, Minnesota left winger Jason Zucker is probably a non-starter, because Zucker has a no-trade clause and Edmonton is likely on a list of teams he wouldn’t go to. He’s more likely to wind up in Pittsburgh, where Minnesota GM Bill Guerin can trade with his old boss, Jimmy Rutherford. Zucker is fast and a 25-30 goal scorer on average, but overpriced at $5.5 million for three more years. He’s available because Russian star Kirill Kaprizov is coming over next season.

Detroit’s Andreas Athanasiou, a kid Holland knows very well because of drafting him, is certainly on Holland’s radar too but they would almost surely have to add a draft pick. And Athanasiou is an unrestricted free agent after next season.