With due respect to Dmitry Kulikov — a defensive blueliner who could help firm up the second pair and the penalty kill — the Oilers doing little at the deadline reeks of an opportunity missed.
Without the benefit of sitting in the same room as GM Ken Holland, we’ll probably never know every single option that came his way in the final hours before the deadline passed. However, he said he never got close to acquiring an impact forward — the type of player the Oilers needed now — instead, choosing to prioritize defence.
This is a team that includes the NHL’s top two scorers (and arguably best two players), an emerging Norris Trophy candidate and a goaltender having perhaps his best season in a decade.
