Edmonton Oilers trade target: Jordan Spence

Spence is a solid depth defenceman who has a bit of a scoring touch. He is mainly known for his skating abilities, which allow him to break out of the defensive zone quickly and escape forecheckers. Another key piece of his game is his vision, which helps him make passes at the right time and cleanly break out of the defensive zone. The main downfalls for Spence are his size and strength. Spence stands at just 5’11” and weighs in at 190 lbs. This is a small statue of an NHL defenceman, but his skating and vision abilities can make up for it.

Spence is only just entering his prime. He is just 25-years-old and already has parts of four NHL seasons under his belt. Yes, he bounced around between the AHL and NHL in his first couple of seasons, but that is understandable for an upcoming young defenceman. He just needs to find the proper team that needs him and will give him good ice time.

Spence’s career achievements

Well, it certainly cannot be ignored that Spence is the first ever NHL player who was born in Australia. That alone made NHL history. He was lucky enough to play a couple of preseason games with the Kings against the Arizona Coyotes in 2023. This was a phenomenal experience that helped grow the game in other areas of the world. What an incredible moment it must have been for the young defenceman.

The most significant part of Spence’s career based on winning was when he was a part of the 2021 Canadian World Junior Team. Here, he only appeared in two games, but did score a goal. Spence and Team Canada lost in the gold medal game to Team USA in a heartbreaking loss. To this day, that silver medal is one of the best accomplishments of Spence’s career.

Another solid achievement for Spence is having played in the playoffs in four of his first five seasons. Three of these obviously came with the Kings, while last year’s short run came with the Senators. Unfortunately, the defenceman has yet to make it past the first round. Spence has been unlucky enough to run into the Edmonton Oilers and the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round, which is no easy task. If the Oilers were to acquire him, this would likely change.

Outside the NHL, Spence was dominant in the AHL. He was part of an AHL All-Rookie team, which served as a congratulatory nod for being such a steady rookie defenceman.

Should the Oilers target Spence?

In my opinion, I definitely believe that the Oilers should target Spence. He would fit the team well as he plays with speed and can make quick plays. As mentioned briefly before, he could slot in on the third pairing and get some power play minutes. I think he would be a better choice than either Stastney or Emberson because he can keep up with the speed of the Oilers stars. He could even move up to the second pairing if Darnell Nurse were to get traded this offseason.

One of the main benefits of acquiring Spence is that he would likely be affordable. He is a current RFA with the Senators, but will not be asking for a massive contract. The defenceman still has a lot to prove at the NHL level and needs to find a proper fit. One of the main problems with targeting Spence is that he will certainly be getting other interest from around the NHL. David Pagnotta reported that the Calgary Flames have recently been linked to Spence. This may not happen, though, as they recently acquired Simon Nemec from the New Jersey Devils.

The last contract that Spence was on was a two-year deal with an annual salary of $1.5M. This is an extremely valuable price, especially considering the fact that he should not get too much of a raise. I could see him getting a maximum of $3M per year on his next deal. It likely would not cost too much to bring him in, either. A couple of draft picks or a pick and a prospect could get the job done.

Do you think the Oilers should target Spence?