Oilers land Bjugstad from Coyotes

The Edmonton Oilers acquired veteran center Nick Bjugstad and defenseman Cam Dineen from the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for a 2023 third-round pick and defense prospect Michael Kesselring, the Oilers announced Thursday.

Arizona is retaining 50% of Bjugstad's $900,000 salary. The Coyotes have now used the maximum three retention slots and are ineligible to add another until July 1, according to CapFriendly. Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Patrick Kane are the other partial contracts on Arizona's ledger.

Bjugstad registered 23 points in 59 games this season and provides Edmonton with reliable depth down the middle. The 30-year-old was a first-round draft pick of the Florida Panthers in 2010. He also spent time with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Minnesota Wild throughout his 11-year career.

Edmonton had $450,000 in deadline cap space before acquiring Bjugstad, meaning it's right up against the salary limit pending any further moves.

The Oilers also made a big splash earlier this week, bringing in Mattias Ekholm for a package of picks, Tyson Barrie, and prospect Reid Schaefer.

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