Netminder Mike Smith says he's pleased with the depth additions made by Edmonton Oilers' General Manager Ken Holland ahead of the NHL trade deadline.
The Oilers, 25/1 to win the Stanley Cup in 2021/22, notably acquired forward Derrick Brassard from the Philadelphia Flyers and defenceman Brett Kulak from the Montreal Canadiens.
Oilers bring in experience
Brassard, 34, scored on his debut, a 5-2 win over the San Jose Sharks on Thursday, whilst 28-year-old Kulak played 18.27 minutes on the Oilers' defence with one shot on goal and two hits.
Brassard brings to Edmonton 15 seasons of NHL experience and crucially, in Smith's opinion, 117 appearances (68 points; 25 goals, 43 assists) in the Stanley Cup Playoffs during eight runs.
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In addition, Kulak played 13 times for the Montreal Canadiens in last season's playoffs which saw them make an unlikely charge all the way to the Stanley Cup Final where they were beaten by Tampa Bay Lightning.
Smith, a veteran of 16 NHL seasons and 29 playoff games, has started 18 games for the Oilers this season, recording seven wins with a .898 save-percentage and 3.28 goals-against-average.
Topsy-turvy season for Edmonton
Edmonton began the NHL season on fire, recording a franchise history best start (16-5-0), but their form has fluctuated with Jay Woodcroft replacing Dave Tippett as coach midway through the season.
Currently, the Oilers (35-24-5) are third in the Pacific Division, three points behind the Los Angeles Kings in second, and you can catch all the action on bet365's Sports Live Streaming hub.
Smith said to the media: "Something that every team looks for is depth, and we acquired some guys that have been in the playoffs before and play important roles on teams… having people that can come into the line-up and play important minutes for our group is beneficial going into the most important games of the year."
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