Oilers pulled the plug on a trade at the deadline!

The Edmonton Oilers kept their red-hot play since the trade deadline going, shutting out the Los Angeles Kings 2-0 on Thursday night. Edmonton is 12-2-1 in March. They passed LA into second place in the Pacific Division and might have given fans a potential playoff preview for the first or second round of the postseason.

The Oilers have especially been sending the message that the added pieces at the trade deadline were the right call. Defenseman Mattias Ekholm, who had a game-high three blocked shots, has been exactly what Edmonton needed.

However on Friday, fans found out how the Oilers had targeted an additional player on the trade market and also pursue a transaction. Head coach Jay Woodcroft, who was a guest on the 32 Thoughts podcast, however explained how the Oilers declined to pull the trigger on that trade. But he had a good reason for it. Elliotte Friedman wrote it down in the written of 32 Thoughts on Sportsnet:

“A few listeners asked about something in the Jay Woodcroft podcast interview. Woodcroft confirmed the Oilers declined to pursue a particular player at the trade deadline because he felt someone already on the roster could fill the role. I believe the player Woodcroft believes in was Vincent Desharnais.”

Desharnais has indeed proven to be a great boost to the Oilers’ blue line. He is a rugged defenseman and his impressive size, 6-foot-6, 215 pounds, gets rivals to think twice about messing with him. His late arrival in the NHL just proves that he was worth waiting for…

And maybe that explains why Woodcroft believed Desharnais was the best “acquisition” the Oilers could bring on board instead of pulling another trade before the final buzzer of the deadline.

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