Kitchener Rangers Acquire Dylan Edwards From Erie Otters

This was a ‘hockey trade’ between a struggling team and a championship contender, which should benefit both sides.

What the Rangers Gain in Dylan Edwards

After reading general manager (GM) McKenzie’s comments about Edwards’ offensive ability, they may have been thinking, ‘we know’, after recently watching him have a primary assist and a goal in the Otters’ 3-2 victory over the Rangers in Kitchener a couple of weeks ago.

Jokes aside, Edwards is a tremendous offensive player. Through 32 games this season, he is up to 16 goals and 39 points. He will now be the Rangers’ second-highest goal scorer, behind Jack Pridham, and their leading point getter.

In the announcement, the Rangers GM also cited Edwards’ ability to elevate his performance in the playoffs, as evidenced by 12 goals and 24 points in 15 OHL playoff games over the last two seasons with the Otters.

Being his overage season, Edwards has one more crack at a Memorial Cup appearance, something all these kids probably dream of, and with the Otters, he wasn’t going to have a fair chance after representing them so well across parts of five seasons.

With the Rangers, Edwards gets the chance to showcase his talent with one of the best teams in the OHL, and could be the missing piece to a team that has been borderline elite all season.

Evan Headrick Will Benefit From Going to the Otters

When announcing the trade from the other side, Otters GM Dave Brown said, “We’re also incredibly excited to welcome Evan to our organization,” and mentioned that “He comes from a family with deep roots here, and his brother, Owen, was a key member of our 2017 OHL Championship team.”

In addition to family ties, the Otters were clearly looking for their next Edwards, with the similarities being uncanny.

Both are undersized forwards, 5-foot-8 and weighing 161-171 pounds, with tremendous offensive skill, though both have taken some time to adjust to the OHL. They are also both first-round picks in the OHL Priority Selection.

The Otters’ GM added, “We believed in Evan throughout his OHL Draft year, and his skill, creativity, and ability to entertain stood out every time he was on the ice. He brings a dynamic offensive element and a very high ceiling,” when touching on why they brought in Headrick.

Headrick has struggled to find his footing offensively in a limited role on a talented Rangers team. Still, with the Otters being much younger, his development will align much better with when this team is trying to peak. The Otters likely expect Headrick to follow a similar development path to Edwards, who is among the top 11 point leaders in the OHL in his overage season.

Rangers GM McKenzie echoed a similar sentiment, also saying that “We still have a lot of belief that Evan will be a great player in this league,” in the Rangers announcement. This is simply a trade that benefits both teams’ organizational goals, with the Rangers getting an elite offensive talent and the Otters getting a guy who will likely develop into the elite talent they are giving up.