Bob Stauffer says the Edmonton Oilers are going to add a forward with size, and a trade is how they plan to do it.
According to Stauffer, the player Edmonton is looking for is a forward "who can ground and pound." No name, no team, no timeline came with it.
The news lands on a Sunday night while the Oilers are in the third period of their game at the Rangers. It also lands on a team that doesn't look broken.
Edmonton sits at 10-2-2 through 14 games, with a goal differential of +19. The Oilers have scored 62 and allowed 43.
They are 7-2-1 over their last 10 and have won two straight. Saturday's 4-0 win at the Islanders was the cleanest of the bunch, with Tristan Jarry stopping all 18 shots he faced for the shutout.
The road record is the loudest number. The Oilers are 6-0-0 away from home, against 4-2-2 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse-free home ice, so the pressure to fix something isn't coming from the standings.
Scratch that thought: the home record is simply 4-2-2, and that is where the cracks show.
Where a bigger forward would fit in the Oilers lineup
The Islanders game offered a hint. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored twice, including the power-play goal and the game-winner, and he served 2 penalty minutes along the way.
Depth also chipped in. Jason Dickinson scored while playing 12:46, and Vasily Podkolzin scored in 14:56. Mathieu Joseph added an assist in 15:03.
Those are the minutes a physical forward would likely compete for. Kasperi Kapanen played 19:27 and picked up an assist, so the top of the lineup is not where the search points.
Here's the part that deserves a hard look. A team with a +19 goal differential and a perfect road record doesn't need a big swing. If Stan Bowman pays a premium for muscle, that's a mistake, and a bottom-six role doesn't justify one.
Mike Babcock's group plays at the Devils on Tuesday, November 3. Whether the new forward is in the lineup by then, or whether the hint turns into a deal at all, is the next thing to watch.
Should the Oilers trade for a bigger forward when they are 10-2-2?
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