Henrique, Carrick deal further proof Oilers GM Holland is going all in

COLUMBUS — Ken Holland parted with a first-round pick for two pending UFAs on Wednesday, a year after dealing away a first-round pick and first-rounder Reid Shaefer in the trade that brought in Mattias Ekholm.

You want all in? This is what all in looks like, folks.

“The time is now,” the Edmonton Oilers general manager declared. “That’s why we’re doing these things.”

With Friday’s National Hockey League trade deadline looming and a to-do list that never seems to end, Holland used the traditional method of upgrading his forward ranks: add two centremen in Adam Henrique and Sam Carrick, knowing that centres can play anywhere.

Wingers, not so much.

Both were top penalty killers in Anaheim, while Carrick has had seven fights this season, according to Hockeyfights.com.

“The importance of killing penalties, of centres, of depth come playoff time were all factors,” said Holland, who now has seven natural centremen among his top 12 forwards. “If you’re going to be playing into May and June you need depth. So having seven centremen obviously gives us real good depth down the middle.”

Henrique slots in as a third-line centreman. He’s strong in the faceoff circle (53 per cent this year), has Stanley Cup Final experience as a rookie with New Jersey, and sports 890 NHL games on his resume.

Henrique has 18 goals and 42 points in 60 games this season, one of just three Ducks forwards whose plus-minus is not in the red, at plus-3.

“I can just go in and play — plug and play — (whether) it’s on the wing or at centre,” he said Wednesday. “If it’s penalty kill or five-on-five — wherever. I feel my like 200-foot game is there.”

Henrique can be your 3C and shift Ryan McLeod back to the wing on the second line. Or he can play that wing spot next to a Leon Draisaitl, leave McLeod on the third line and round out a pretty strong top 6.

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“Whatever the team needs to make a better lineup is good with me,” shrugged Henrique, 34, whose father-in-law is former Maple Leaf Steve “Stumpy” Thomas. “I don’t expect to go in there and play on the first line. I just come in and try to add to the depth. Try to bring a veteran presence to the group. A calming influence on the ice wherever that may be.”

Carrick, 32, is a game, right-shot fourth-liner who wins 51 per cent of his faceoffs. A Leafs fifth-rounder from the Taylor Hall draft in 2010, he grew up in Toronto’s system with Zach Hyman and Connor Brown.

“I like to be a bit of an agitator and try to get under the other team’s skin any way I can, really,” said Carrick, 32, who has carved out 224 NHL games. “I’m going to be physical and I’m going to bring that element on a nightly basis.

“I mean, whatever this team needs me to do. I’m willing to do.”

Both are expected to pay in Columbus on Thursday night.

Carrick led all Anaheim Ducks centremen this season in penalty kill minutes, while Henrique was second. They rank fourth and fifth, respectively, in the entire NHL among centres, due to the fact Anaheim has logged more penalty minutes than any other NHL team.

Holland gives up his first-round pick this June, destined to be in the 25-28 range barring a trip to the Final or a massive flame-out, and a conditional fifth-rounder in 2025 that graduates to a fourth if the Oilers win it all this spring.

He also gave Tampa a fourth-rounder that toggles between 2025 and 2026, depending on whether the Oilers win the Cup this season. The Lightning will take on 24% of Henrique’s $5.824 million cap hit.

And Holland says he’s not done.

“We’ve got Henrique at 25 cents on the dollar and we’ve got Carrick at 50 cents,” he said. “So we do have some cap space left.

“I am going to continue to talk to teams about another defenceman. A veteran defenceman.”

As noted by PuckPedia, after waiving Sam Gagner, these moves still leave Holland with enough cap space to acquire a defenceman with an AAV in the $1.2 million range before Friday’s deadline. And with the fact that both Carrick and Henrique are both adept penalty killers, you may well see Connor Brown and his $775,000 AAV heading out the door to make room for that upgrade on the blue-line, marking an end to one of the more forgettable free-agent signings in team history.

As for Henrique, after spending the last seven seasons in Anaheim, he can’t wait to compete for ol’ Stanley again.

“In Anaheim we haven’t been in that position since I’ve been here. So to join a team in their position, a group who’s looking to win the Stanley Cup?

“That’s what we all play for. It’s exciting.”

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