You can never have too much depth on the back end, and the Oilers are a little thin there and could target three players per NHL insider. The Edmonton Oilers are monitoring the trade market, but <a href='https://www.hockeylatest.com/nhl-team/edmonton-oilers/elliotte-friedman-has-revealed-stan-bowman-and-the-oilers-are-targeting-big-name-defensemen' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>their primary need ahead of the March 7 trade deadline is adding a defenceman</a>. With some salary cap space available, though not enough to fit in a meaningful addition to their defence corps, any meaningful addition may require some cap gymnastics, perhaps with a current roster player moving out to facilitate a new addition. On «The Powerplay» on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio on Thursday, TFP's David Pagnotta reported the Oilers are exploring their options, but may not pull the trigger until closer to the deadline to maximize their available cap space. Though the Oilers would prefer to add a right-shot defenceman, ideally, they are willing to add a left-shot blueliner if the right fit presents itself. <div align='center' class='pl20 pr20'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/BruinsNetwork/status/1866926721175306386'> </a></blockquote></div> One important variable, of course, is the uncertain status of Evander Kane, who's been on LTIR following a September surgery. And with Evander Kane not close to returning, his timeline for a return is thought to be early 2025 at the time of his surgery, <a href='https://www.hockeylatest.com/nhl-team/edmonton-oilers/insider-confirms-the-extreme-actions-evander-kane-took-to-play-in-the-finals-gave-an-update-on-his-recovery' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>it's unclear if he'll play this regular season</a>. And if Kane does indeed miss the remainder of the regular season, the Oilers get $5.25 million in LTIR overage space, and that would give them plenty of room to make that major addition. Among the defencemen reportedly in Edmonton's sights are Montreal Canadiens veteran David <a href='https://www.nhl.com/canadiens/player/david-savard-8475233' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Savard</a>, Anaheim Ducks blueliner Brian Dumoulin, and Columbus Blue Jackets defenceman Ivan Provorov, whose names have been in rumor mill circulation for quite some time. David Savard shoots right, and Ivan Provorov can play both sides of the ice.