Oilers Should Acquire Sharks Defenceman Mario Ferraro

The Edmonton Oilers have been a solid team as of late. After a start riddled with fans complaining, coaches being fired, and losses, they have finally turned their season around and have a real chance to climb back to the top of the Pacific Division standings. As we head into the middle of January, the Oilers are lining up to be contenders this season and will likely be buyers come the trade deadline. While the issues they had initially have been dealt with after the coaching change, they could still make some upgrades.

One player that makes sense for the Oilers to acquire is San Jose Sharks’ defenceman Mario Ferraro. On a struggling Sharks team that is expected to sell all of their players at the trade deadline in hopes of being able to rack up assets for their future, Ferraro could be someone the team decides to part with. Plenty of teams will be looking to bolster their defensive depth or flat-out upgrade their top four defensive core and Ferraro would be able to provide stability for either role depending on who acquires him.

Related: Oilers Should Consider Signing Corey Perry

The Oilers have improved defensively as the season has gone on but it would be no surprise if they chose to bolster their depth heading into the postseason. We’ve seen in previous seasons that the Oilers haven’t been able to take out teams in a seven-game series because of their lack of depth whereas other teams had it and outplayed them, so adding a guy like Ferraro who gives them more variety with their lineups would be beneficial.

Who Is Mario Ferraro & How Would He Help The Oilers?

Ferraro is a 25-year-old left-shot defenceman from King City, Ontario. He was drafted by the Sharks in the second round of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft at 49th overall after a strong showing in the United States Hockey League (USHL) with the Des Moines Buccaneers where he scored eight goals and added 33 assists for 41 points through 60 games. Before playing in the USHL, he played in the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) with the Toronto Patriots where over two seasons, he scored seven goals and added 45 assists for 52 points through 94 games.

Ferraro chose to join the NCAA the following season playing with the University Of Massachusetts (UMass). In his first season, he scored four goals and added 19 assists for 23 points through 39 games and began to build himself a reputation as a strong two-way defenceman. He was named captain of…