Trading Matt Hendricks

Elliotte Friedman stirred up the old rumour mill last Saturday when he mentioned that the Oilers could be moving on from Matt Hendricks and Benoit Pouliot. Now Pouliot is a story for another day, but Matt Hendricks is an interesting player to look at.

Friedman mentioned the Minnesota Wild would be a fit for Hendricks, considering Hendricks is a Minnesota boy.

The most difficult part about trading Hendricks is his contract, and the fact that Matty has been a good soldier for an Oiler club that lacked effort throughout the roster in various games over the years. Hendricks always gives his all when he is on the ice.

The issue is that Hendricks has spent more time in the press box than on the ice and he seems to have lost an edge.

Hendricks was a late bloomer and never became a full-time NHL player until he was 28 years old, and he’s worked for every second of ice time he saw in the big leagues. Now he’s 35 and he will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

Matt Hendricks’ body has taken a beaten and his regression was expected. Now, the issue is whether Hendricks as a cheerleader and dressing room presence is worth using as a roster spot on a club that has Jujhar Khaira, Taylor Beck and to a lesser extent Anton Lander in the pipeline more deserving of a roster spot.

If the Oilers move Matt Hendricks they will likely have to eat some of his $1.8M salary, and won’t receive much of value. A 4th round pick may be the best they can get out of him at this time.

With Iiro Pakarinen eventually returning from injury and the likes of Beck and Khaira knocking on the door something has got to give.

I believe that Hendricks’ value will increase as the trade deadline nears and teams value veteran leadership heading into the post season, so the Oilers may be able to utilize Hendricks’ veteran abilities to draw a conditional 3rd round draft pick.

Personally, I would love for the Oilers to keep Hendricks so he can retire as an Oiler. He was the only glimmer of pride for too many games over the last few seasons and I hope he knows how much he was valued in the eyes of Oiler fans. The man himself still wears his heart on his sleeve, but the hockey player isn’t what he used to be.

Cheers to you Matt Hendricks, and on behalf of The Oilers Rig, we salute you and wish you the best with whatever happens.