Bob Stauffer hints at a coming Oilers addition

Bob Stauffer is hinting that the Edmonton Oilers will add a forward with size, according to a post from The Mug NHL.

The timing is interesting. The Oilers sit second in the NHL at 11-2-3, and they were back in action last night at New Jersey, where they fell 4-3 in a shootout.

That loss ended a good stretch, but it hardly shook the standings. Edmonton still leads the Pacific Division with 25 points.

So why talk about a need now? Because contenders usually go shopping while the record still looks good, not after it slips.

The Mug NHL passed along the message on Sunday, writing that Stauffer believes the Oilers will bring in a forward "who can ground and pound."

-

The post names no player, no price and no timeline. All we have is a job description, and it's a clear one: someone who wins board battles and plays a heavier game.

Does a team this good need a heavier forward?

Look at what the Oilers have already built. They are 7-0-1 on the road, they carry a +19 goal differential, and Leon Draisaitl scored a power-play goal in New Jersey.

Evan Bouchard logged 27:26 in that game and finished with a goal and an assist. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins also had a goal and an assist, and Kasperi Kapanen added two helpers.

The top end is clearly producing. Any new forward would be there for a different job, and GM Stan Bowman has no reason to overpay for it.

That's the part that matters most. Adding grit on the margins is a sensible move for a team in first place. Giving up real assets for it, with Mike Babcock's group already winning, would be a mistake.

Edmonton hosts Anaheim on Thursday, and the Oilers will try to bounce back from the shootout loss. Whether the addition Stauffer hinted at shows up soon is the open question for Bowman's phone.

Also read on Markerzone.com:
Elliotte Friedman reveals where the Kucherov talks stand