The surging Edmonton Oilers have acquired forwards Adam Henrique and Sam Carrick from the Anaheim Ducks ahead of Friday's NHL trade deadline.
The trade was a three-way deal that included salary retention by both Anaheim and the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Ducks retained 50% of Henrique's salary in trading him to the Lightning for the reserve rights to goaltender Ty Taylor. The Lightning retained 50% of Henrique's remaining salary in trading him to the Oilers for a conditional 2025 fourth-round pick, which moves to the 2026 NHL draft if the Oilers win the Stanley Cup this season.
The three-way trade was completed with the Ducks trading Carrick with 50% of his salary retained to the Oilers with Taylor and a 2024 seventh-round pick for Edmonton's 2024 first-round pick and a 2025 conditional fifth-round pick to Anaheim, one that becomes a fourth-rounder if the Oilers win the Stanley Cup this season.
At the end of the trade, the Oilers get Henrique with a $1,456,250 cap hit and Carrick with a $425,000 cap hit.
Both Henrique and Carrick are unrestricted free agents this offseason.
Henrique, 34, is a versatile veteran who can play center or left wing. He has 42 points in 60 games this season, averaging 17:35 minutes. He can play on the power play and is an effective penalty killer.
He reached 20 goals three times with the Ducks and three more with the New Jersey Devils, his original team. In 2012 he sent the Devils to the Stanley Cup Final with an overtime goal in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals against the New York Rangers.
Henrique was the No. 7 player on the ESPN deadline trade board. He carried a $5.825 million cap hit.
Carrick, 31, is an effective checking forward with 11 points in 61 games this season, averaging 12:37 in ice time.
The Oilers have been one of the NHL's hottest teams for months after a slow start that cost coach Jay Woodcroft his job after 13 games. Under coach Kris Knoblauch, the Oilers have gone 35-11-1 and are riding a five-game winning streak.
Given that success, and his team's cap constraints, GM Ken Holland has discussed making moves to increase the depth. Adding two veterans in Henrique and Carrick is in keeping with that mindset.