NHL Rumors: Oilers Interested In Blues' Depth Forward

The Edmonton Oilers have been on a run that has made them much more serious contenders once again when it comes to the playoffs. They have four of the top 11 scorers in the league, but the other areas of their lineup is the concern that may need addressing. One area that we are going to focus on here is the forward depth, Noel Acciari in particular.

The St. Louis Blues have been a disappointment this season and it has caused them to think retooling this offseason. That retooling starts at the trade deadline as they are going to trade a number of their UFAs to free up cap and get assets back. Acciari may not be the biggest player available from the Blues, but he fits the Oilers' needs much better than a couple of the other forwards.

The Oilers' depth hasn't been great all season, but it has picked up as of late. They will be trading at least one of Jesse Puljujarvi and Warren Foegele to free up some cap space, also opening up a roster spot. When it comes to faceoff win percentage by the Oilers' bottom-six, that's an area where they lose many battles. Acciari specializes in the faceoff dot with a win percentage of 54.4 this season. He also happens to be able to produce offensively.

He has a cap hit of $1.125 million until the end of the season, some of that likely to be retained in a trade. This would mean the Oilers would be allotting very little cap space to a solid bottom-six player who is strong defensively and can play centre or the wing. Acciari is a player to keep an eye on for Edmonton.