EDMONTON -- The Edmonton Oilers have acquired wingers Andreas Athanasiou and Tyler Ennis Monday ahead of the 1 p.m. NHL trade deadline.
First, the Oilers gave up two second round picks and Sam Gagner for Athanasiou, who has 10 goals and 14 assists in 46 games this season.
Edmonton also received Ryan Kuffner in the deal.
About an hour later, TSN reported the Oilers had acquired Ennis from the Ottawa Senators for a fifth-round pick in 2021.
Ennis, an Edmonton native, has 14 goals and 19 assists in 2019-20.
"We're in a rush to make the playoffs so I tried to add some offence," Oilers general manager Ken Holland said.
Holland called Athanasiou a "talented player" who is "having a tough year," and hopes he will get back to his 30-goal potential with the Oilers coaching staff.
The GM also said it was difficult to trade Gagner. Holland and Tippett met with him to tell him the news.
"Those are never easy decisions. These are people, they've got lives and emotions ... it was a tough day."
Sunday night, the Oilers traded forward Kyle Brodziak and a conditional draft pick in 2020 or 2021 to the Red Wings for 34-year-old Mike Green, who has three goals and eight assists in 48 games this season.
The deal was announced during the third period of the Oilers' game against the Los Angeles Kings, which Edmonton won 4-2 with the return of Connor McDavid from a quad injury.
"My message today is: We're trying to win ... we've got a great nucleus and they've played hard, they're played hard to put ourselves in this position where we compete for a playoff spot," Holland said. "I felt like I had an obligation to try to pitch in and help out."
Currently, the Oilers – sitting second in the Pacific Division – are one of three Canadian teams in a playoff position. Vancouver sits third in Pacific, and Calgary in first place for one of the Wild Card spots.
The Anaheim Ducks host the Oilers on Tuesday.
With files from TSN and The Canadian Press
