Oilers, Panthers Swap Wideman for Petrovic

The Edmonton Oilers acquired defenseman Alex Petrovic from the Florida Panthers in exchange for defenseman Chris Wideman and a 2019 third-round draft pick.

A former second-round pick of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, Petrovic has five goals and 44 assists in 254 career games, all with the Panthers. He has no goals and just one assist in 26 games this season. While his offensive totals are underwhelming, Petrovic is a reliable defenseman that will help round out a depleted defensive corps for the Oilers. His arrival should help ease the workload of Darnell Nurse, who has seen a drastic uptick in ice time since the injury to Oscar Klefbom. Klefbom is expected to be sidelined until early February after undergoing surgery to repair an injured finger.

A former teammate of Petrovic’s with the WHL’s Red Deer Rebels, Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is excited about the acquisition.

“[He’s a] big body, can really shoot the puck,” said Nugent-Hopkins. “He’s a smart player who knows when to move it and jump into the play.”

Wideman moves to the Panthers after a short-lived tenure as an Oiler. The 28-year-old St. Louis native played just five games for Edmonton after being acquired from the Senators in November. He has two goals and five assists in 24 games this season, including two assists with the Oilers. He has a career ATOI of 13:38 and will likely serve as the Panthers’ seventh defenseman.