The Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings made headlines Tuesday night by exchanging veteran forwards Jussi Jokinen and Mike Cammalleri in a trade.
Both players have slid into depth roles at this stage of their careers, meaning the deal probably won't have franchise-altering repercussions. That said, there are still a few takeaways, particularly when it comes to the struggling Oilers.
Self-inflicted wounds
With the Oilers currently dead last in the NHL with 38 goals for through 17 games, this trade was presumably orchestrated to address their lack of offense - a problem that wouldn't need to be solved if Peter Chiarelli hadn't traded away the majority of his team's depth.
If Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle - heck, maybe even just one of them - were still in the fold, perhaps Edmonton wouldn't have felt the need to go out and add a 35-year-old who hasn't topped 70 games in a single season since 2008-09.
Don't be fooled: Jokinen's better
(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)
While Jokinen has only produced one point to Cammalleri's seven this season, the new Kings forward brings a more complete game to the table.
Cammalleri has just one goal at even strength this season, and Jokinen holds a clear advantage in several advanced metrics.
| Jokinen | Stat | Cammalleri |
|---|---|---|
| 58.27 | CF% | 43.79 |
| 4.26 | CF% relative to teammates | -8.01 |
| 72.97 | xGF% | 43.72 |
| 92.67 | PDO | 103.62 |
(Stats courtesy: Corsica, all at five-on-five)
Jokinen's sky-high expected goals-for percentage leads the NHL, while Cammalleri's PDO (on-ice shooting plus save percentage) doesn't appear to be sustainable, as the number generally reverts closer to 100 as the season wears on.
This can't be it, right?
While Tuesday's trade indicates Chiarelli knows his roster needs improved depth, adding Cammalleri can't be his only move if the Oilers want to maximize their opportunity to win this season.
Relying solely on the production of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisiatl has already put the Oilers in a deep hole to begin a season in which they were pegged as Stanley Cup favorites.
Edmonton has until the end of the current campaign before McDavid's salary rockets into the stratosphere. With just over $8 million in cap space available for the remainder of the season, there's an opportunity to add a significant piece or two and actually improve the roster, should Chiarelli choose to do so.
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