Just In: Done deal, oilers complets the deal of capitals forward.
The Edmonton Oilers have yet to make any trades heading into the deadline, but they will likely become more active in the next week. With Chris Tanev recently getting traded to the Dallas Stars and Ilya Lyubushkin getting dealt to the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Oilers will have to look elsewhere for defenders if they’re looking to bolster their blue line. With several big defenders still on the board, including Noah Hanifin, Zach Bogosian, and Joel Edmundson, the Oilers still have the opportunity to pull the trigger on a deal that sees them upgrade their defensive depth. In recent days, though, it seems they have become more connected to forwards and are hoping to add some scoring to their lineup for a postseason run.
One player the Oilers have recently been connected to is Washington Capitals’ forward Nic Dowd, whose name has come up several times in trade rumours this season. Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek was the second person to make the connection between the two, with Elliotte Friedman being the first to do so as a guest on Oilers Now with Bob Stauffer. While the asking price is unknown right now, the Capitals are expected to be sellers at the trade deadline and will likely be gauging the trade market for him this season. If the Oilers are looking to bring in a defensive forward to bolster the depth in their bottom six, Dowd is the perfect addition.
The Oilers were also connected to another Capitals forward in Anthony Mantha. But that acquisition seems a bit more unlikely, considering the price of his remaining contract and the price of bringing him in. Dowd is a cheaper asset with term left on his contract, which could make him a more interesting piece for the Oilers. They made it clear last season that they would be willing to pay the price for a player who wasn’t just a rental when they acquired defenseman Mattias Ekholm for a massive trade package in return. Either way, it seems the Oilers have been gauging the market for Dowd.
Who Is Nic Dowd?
Dowd is a 33-year-old right-shot forward from Huntsville, Alabama, who was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the seventh round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft after a strong showing in the North American Hockey League (NAHL) with the Wenatchee Wild, where he scored 16 goals and added 33 assists for 49 points through 43 games. He decided to go to the United States Hockey League (USHL) the following season and played with the Indiana Ice, where he scored 16 goals and added 23 assists for 39 points through 46 games. Dowd would then make the jump to the NCAA, where he played four seasons with St. Cloud State University.
Over those four seasons, Dowd scored 52 goals and added 69 assists for 121 points through 154 games, which comes out to a 0.79 points-per-game average. He got his first taste of professional hockey at the end of the 2013-14 season, playing seven games with the Manchester Monarchs in the American Hockey League (AHL) and had three assists. He played five games in the NHL in the 2015-16 season, getting no points. But it was his final season in the AHL, as he found a full-time spot in the NHL the following season. Over 140 games in the AHL, Dowd scored 23 goals and added 69 assists for 92 points, which comes out to a 0.66 points-per-game average.
In his first full campaign in the NHL, which was the 2016-17 season, Dowd scored six goals and added 16 assists for 22 points through 70 games. He quickly proved that while he may not put up insane offensive numbers, he showed he’s a strong defensive forward who could play in any scenario a team needs him to. He was traded to the Vancouver Canucks the following season, then joined the Capitals for the 2018-19 season, where he has been ever since. This season with the Capitals, Dowd has scored eight goals and added eight assists for 16 points through 45 games. Throughout his NHL career, he has played 481 games, scoring 66 goals and adding 77 assists for 143 points, which comes out to a 0.30 points-per-game average.
Dowd has established himself as an elite defensive-minded centreman who would be a welcomed addition to any contending team. The Oilers have struggled in their own end at times this season, so Dowd could help stabilize the defensive side of the game at clutch times and could become a new penalty-kill specialist on the Oilers.
The Oilers are back in action on Saturday (March 2) in a matchup against the Seattle Kraken, where they will be looking to build off their previous game, where they won 3-2 in overtime over the St. Louis Blues. Hopefully, the Oilers can make a move for Dowd before the trade deadline and still have the assets left over to make more moves and have an even stronger team heading into the postseason.
