Corey Perry can attest to McDavid’s assessment, saying they’re going to be important additions both on and off the ice after being teammates with the two centres at different times at the tail end of his 14-season tenure with the Ducks.
The 38-year-old sees Henrique as an underrated, versatile scorer who can contribute in the top six or provide added depth at even strength and the penalty kill from a third-line role.
“I played with [Henrique] for a few years. A tremendous person and a tremendous guy, Perry said. “He’s a competitor. He’s got that attitude that he wants the puck and he’s going to do anything to have it. I think he’s going to be a great addition to this team and he’s going to help this lineup a lot.
“We’re still getting our game in order and we’re still putting it together and working away and plugging away, but I like the two additions we made. They’re going to help this lineup. You want to hit the ground running at the right time, it takes steps throughout the season and we’re taking those steps.”
Additionally, the Oilers have two more centre-eligible options to add to their arsenal, and you can never have enough centres in this League – especially when you get to the Stanley Cup Playoffs and teams’ depth begins to come into play.
McDavid is a major fan of the flexibility that’s been added to the Oilers roster, and from facing Henrique and Carrick many times over his career in the face-off dot, he’s glad they’re now on his side.
“It means you’re strong in faceoffs,” McDavid said. “Usually, centres are pretty smart players. I think having seven centres in the top twelve, you can’t have enough hockey IQ on a team so I think that’s a good thing.”