The Edmonton Oilers need a centre.

Tuesday’s season opener didn’t go great, and it surely didn’t help that both Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jason Dickinson were out of the lineup. Even with a healthy Nugent-Hopkins and Dickinson, centre is still an area of need, as Nugent-Hopkins’ numbers away from Draisaitl and McDavid aren’t great.

Add in the fact that head coach Mike Babcock seemingly wants to put Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl together on the top line, and the need for a centre is obvious.

Enter Shane Wright.

According to Sportsnet’s Elliott Freidman on a recent 32 Thoughts podcast , the Oilers “poked around” on Wright, but noted that he doesn’t believe it will happen. It absolutely should.

The Oilers have had some success with reclamation projects the last couple of seasons. Vasily Podkolzin has broken out into a top-six forward after a tough start to his career with the Vancouver Canucks. Matthew Savoie had a terrific post-Olympic stretch and has also positioned himself to be a staple in the Oilers’ top six when he returns to health. Savoie was selected ninth overall, and........

© Oilers Nation