The Edmonton Oilers have been a solid team as of late. After a start riddled with fans complaining, coaches being fired, and losses, they have finally turned their season around and have a real chance to climb back to the top of the Pacific Division standings. As we head into the middle of January, the Oilers are lining up to be contenders this season and will likely be buyers come the trade deadline. While the issues they had initially have been dealt with after the coaching change, they could still make some upgrades.
One player that makes sense for the Oilers to acquire is San Jose Sharks’ defenceman Mario Ferraro. On a struggling Sharks team that is expected to sell all of their players at the trade deadline in hopes of being able to rack up assets for their future, Ferraro could be someone the team decides to part with. Plenty of teams will be looking to bolster their defensive depth or flat-out upgrade their top four defensive core and Ferraro would be able to provide stability for either role depending on who acquires him.
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The Oilers have improved defensively as the season has gone on but it would be no surprise if they chose to bolster their depth heading into the postseason. We’ve seen in previous seasons that the Oilers haven’t been able to take out teams in a seven-game series because of their lack of depth whereas other teams had it and outplayed them, so adding a guy like Ferraro who gives them more variety with their lineups would be beneficial.
Who Is Mario Ferraro & How Would He Help The Oilers?
Ferraro is a 25-year-old left-shot defenceman from King City, Ontario. He was drafted by the Sharks in the second round of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft at 49th overall after a strong showing in the United States Hockey League (USHL) with the Des Moines Buccaneers where he scored eight goals and added 33 assists for 41 points through 60 games. Before playing in the USHL, he played in the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) with the Toronto Patriots where over two seasons, he scored seven goals and added 45 assists for 52 points through 94 games.
Ferraro chose to join the NCAA the following season playing with the University Of Massachusetts (UMass). In his first season, he scored four goals and added 19 assists for 23 points through 39 games and began to build himself a reputation as a strong two-way defenceman. He was named captain of UMass the following season and scored two goals and added 12 assists for 14 points through 41 games. He joined the Sharks in the 2019-20 season and has maintained himself at the NHL level since then.
While his offensive game hasn’t exploded at the NHL level as of yet, he has been one of the best defensive players the Sharks have had in recent seasons. He was named an alternate captain of the Sharks in the 2021-22 season and still has that honour with the team as of right now. Early on in the 2023-24 season, he is on pace to beat his career high in points which he earned in the 2020-21 season when he got 17. Halfway through the Sharks’ season, he’s on pace to reach over 20 points for the first time in his NHL career.
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The Oilers’ depth isn’t awful but it could be better. Their third-pairing left-side defenceman is Brett Kulak who hasn’t been bad but hasn’t stood out by any means. With Vincent Desharnais stepping up defensively in a big way this season, it may be Kulak who finds himself as the seventh defenceman should the Oilers opt to bring in a new defender. Ferraro has been better than Kulak this season and while he gets paid a bit more than him, Ferraro is on a better-value deal.
Should the Oilers decide to bolster their depth and try to keep Kulak so they have seven NHL defencemen in their system, this gives them a chance to experiment with their lineup a bit and gives them more security should someone get hurt closer to the postseason. He would be the perfect addition to this Oilers team that wants to make a run at their first Stanley Cup since 1990.
What Would It Take To Bring In Ferraro?
The Oilers would have to find the money to bring in Ferraro and his $3.25 million contract. Cody Ceci, Warren Foegele or Kulak could all be players that the Sharks take in return to facilitate a trade and maximize the return from the Oilers. Theoretically, a trade between the two could look like the Oilers acquiring Ferraro in exchange for Carter Savoie, a second-round pick, a third-round pick, and one of Ceci, Foegele, or Kulak to make the money work.
Hopefully, the Oilers make the right moves and can get over the hump that they have failed to since the 1990s. They would love to win their first Stanley Cup in the Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl era, so hopefully they bring in Ferraro and give themselves a better chance of doing so.