As a pending free agent on a bad team, Adam Henrique knew he was going to get dealt before last Friday\u2019s trade deadline.<\/p>\n
The chance to go from a bottom-feeder to a Stanley Cup contender was most appreciated. Making the faraway move from Anaheim to Edmonton? Well, that wasn\u2019t as ideal \u2014 and it has nothing to do with the colder climate.<\/p>\n
Henrique and his wife, Lauren, welcomed their second daughter, Sophia, on Feb. 26. That made her just nine days old when her dad was acquired by the Oilers last Wednesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s working out as best as it could,\u201d Henrique said. \u201cWe tried to do everything we could to prepare for it.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was an exciting time for us as a family. With everything going on, we knew what to expect.\u201d<\/p>\n
The early days as an Oiler were a whirlwind for Henrique.<\/p>\n
Even with the support of Henrique\u2019s mom and parents-in-law, having Henrique home would surely be helpful right about now. Complaints have been few and far between from Lauren, though.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s great,\u201d Henrique said. \u201cShe\u2019s so supportive of me going through everything considering what she had to go through as far as the pregnancy and birth. That\u2019s a crazy experience.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s been so good for me, just allowing me to go play hockey and focus on hockey. Everything at home has been great and taken care of where it eases my mind to not have to worry about it at all.\u201d<\/p>\n
The couple also has another daughter, Blake, who\u2019s 16 months old, so Henrique understands full well what he\u2019s missing out on right now. He was sidelined for six weeks near the end of last season with an injury, which gave him lots of time to spend with Blake.<\/p>\n
Though Henrique hopes his wife and daughters will get the opportunity to visit Edmonton in the coming weeks, he won\u2019t get much time with Sophia until after the hockey season ends.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is (hard),\u201d he said. \u201cThey change so much when they\u2019re little. Last year, I was home for a lot of that time, which, in retrospect, was pretty special.\u201d<\/p>\n
Henrique, 34, is adjusting on the ice. He started his Oilers tenure as the second-line winger next to Leon Draisaitl and Evander Kane in Columbus, but that lasted for only a period before he was shifted to third-line centre.<\/p>\n
For the last two games, he\u2019s been flanked by Kane on the left side plus a rotation of Corey Perry and Connor Brown on the right.<\/p>\n
Ice time and production have been harder to come by, too.<\/p>\n
He averaged 17:35 over 60 games for the Ducks, posting 18 goals and 42 points in 60 games.<\/p>\n
Henrique played 14:14 in Columbus, 13:52 in Buffalo (a 65-minute game) and 14:53 in Pittsburgh. He\u2019s received just a few shifts on the penalty kill and didn\u2019t get his first taste of the power play until the Pittsburgh game \u2014 1:11.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s yet to record his first point as an Oiler.<\/p>\n
Henrique figured there\u2019d be kinks to work out. Those who know his game best, like Perry, are confident he\u2019ll be a key contributor to the Oilers.<\/p>\n
The hockey stuff seems like the easy part right now, though, for Henrique. He\u2019s not sure when he\u2019ll see his family again.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll wait and see,\u201d Henrique said. \u201cIt\u2019s just a little road trip for dad.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ducks-turned-Oilers teammate Sam Carrick is in a similar situation as Henrique with two young kids. However, it\u2019s not anywhere near as complicated.<\/p>\n
Carrick and his wife, Carley, have two sons \u2014 Liam, 4, and Jack, 2. Because neither boy is in school and isn\u2019t in the constant newborn cycle of feedings, diaper changes and sleep, it\u2019s a lot easier for them to make the move to Edmonton. They\u2019ll make the trip north once Carrick finds a home for them to rent.<\/p>\n
The transition has been easier for Carrick and his family \u2014 aside from one thing. Carrick joked that his older boy was a little confused about why his dad was no longer playing for the Ducks.<\/p>\n
Carrick\u2019s first three games on the Oilers roster have been understated.<\/p>\n
He played just 7:38 in his debut against the Blue Jackets. His minutes were reduced because he fought Columbus tough guy Mathieu Olivier to try to jolt his new teammates and because an early deficit meant coach Kris Knoblauch had to rely more heavily on offensive forwards.<\/p>\n
Though Carrick was dominant in the faceoff circle against Buffalo \u2014 he was a perfect 8-for-8 \u2014 he played just 9:24. Carrick averaged 12:38 in Anaheim over 61 games.<\/p>\n
He was then scratched in favour of Derek Ryan for Sunday\u2019s game in Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n
Carrick, 32, desperately wanted to play for a playoff-bound team. He\u2019ll now have to separate himself from the other fourth-liners to guarantee everyday duty with the Oilers.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s used to that. This is the first season he hasn\u2019t had to go down to the minors \u2014 though last season was just a four-game conditioning stint.<\/p>\n
Fittingly, he attributes family for really getting his NHL career going.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce I had my first kid, that\u2019s when I took everything to the next level,\u201d Carrick said.<\/p>\n
Anyone who didn\u2019t see Connor McDavid torching the Penguins on Sunday hasn\u2019t been paying attention.<\/p>\n
McDavid had a goal and two assists in a 4-0 win, upping his production to four goals and nine points in his last three games against the Pens. He has four goals and 11 points in his last three trips to Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n
Colleague Rob Rossi had a great postgame column on McDavid and all the connections he has to the Steel City.<\/p>\n
There are more. Former Penguin Cody Ceci sees \u201ca lot of similarities\u201d between McDavid and his predecessor as Canada\u2019s premier hockey star, Sidney Crosby.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re trying to get better every single day. They\u2019re trying to be the best they can be. They\u2019re not taking any days off, and they hold the rest of the team accountable,\u201d Ceci said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you see the best players in the world working hard and staying on the ice after practice and trying to get better, it just pushes everyone else to do the same. If the best players in the world are doing it, then you should be doing it, too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Oilers assistant coach Paul Coffey is attuned with both organizations. He won three of his four championships in Edmonton as a player. The other one was as a Penguin.<\/p>\n
As a teammate of Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux, Coffey witnessed the latter trying to chase down the former up close. He\u2019s noticed a striking resemblance in McDavid striving for Crosby\u2019s standard.<\/p>\n
\u201cSid\u2019s a complete hockey player with a capital C,\u201d Coffey said. \u201cConnor has incredible offensive talent and speed. He\u2019s worked hard at every aspect of his game. He\u2019s a 200-foot player right now. Takes the body when he has to. Always in good position.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has the eye of the tiger \u2014 and that\u2019s what\u2019s important.\u201d<\/p>\n
McDavid\u2019s sixth Art Ross Trophy is well within reach. He\u2019s third in league scoring with 103 points. Colorado\u2019s Nathan MacKinnon tops the list with 111 points, whereas Tampa Bay\u2019s Nikita Kucherov is sandwiched between them with 107. McDavid has two games in hand on both players.<\/p>\n
Coffey said he wouldn\u2019t put it past McDavid to claim the scoring title for the fourth straight season.<\/p>\n
Individual accolades are second to a team championship, though. Crosby has hoisted the Stanley Cup three times. That\u2019s what McDavid is missing.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s rewarding for them to win it, but I don\u2019t think it\u2019s as rewarding as it would be to win a Cup,\u201d Ceci said. \u201cThey both humble guys. They\u2019re not cherishing those (personal awards) too much. They\u2019re more focused on the big goal.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cConnor is a winner,\u201d Coffey said. \u201cHe\u2019s not only a great hockey player, but he\u2019s a winner. He\u2019s not yet won a Stanley Cup, but he strives every day to be that champion.\u201d<\/p>\n
(Photo of Adam Henrique: Joe Sargent \/ NHLI via Getty Images)<\/p>\n