EDMONTON (CP) - Edmonton Oilers GM Kevin Lowe signalled to his players and fans that the team isn't out of the playoff hunt yet by acquiring sniper Petr Nedved from the New York Rangers on Wednesday.
The Oilers picked up Nedved and goaltender Jussi Markkanen for forward Dwight Helminen, goalie Stephen Valiquette and a 2004 second-round pick.
Edmonton is six points behind Los Angeles for the last Western Conference playoff spot heading into action Wednesday. But the Oilers aren't giving up hope.
``These guys believe and we wanted to try to give them something that would help out,'' Lowe told reporters Wednesday.
Fans generally liked the trade, but some told sports radio talk shows that they hoped it worked out better than the deal that brought veteran Adam Oates to the Oilers earlier this year. Oates has two goals and nine assists in 43 games.
It was Lowe's first foray into the trade market but he said the club can't afford to wait for the return of forwards Mike York, Marty Reasoner and Brad Isbister and goaltender Ty Conklin from the injured ranks.
``We felt we were a little bit thin at centre ice,'' he said.
Nedved and Markkanen will join the Oilers in St. Louis in time for Thursday's game versus the Blues.
``Petr is a good guy and a good player and will fit and the price was well within our ability to step out and do something,'' Lowe said. ``We've only lost three games since Feb.1 in regulation.
``I am convinced our guys will keep playing that way.''
Lowe wouldn't comment on details of the deal, but the Rangers are expected to pick up the remainder of Nedved's $4.75-million salary for this season. He has a club option for next year at $5 million, meaning the Oilers have the choice whether to keep Nedved.
Markkanen returns to the team that traded him for unrestricted free agent Brian Leetch last summer. The Oilers received a compensatory pick from the Rangers in that deal when Leetch re-signed in New York. Lowe conceded it could wind up being the same pick they send back to New York.
But he said the Oilers needed a solid NHL backup for Salo, who appeared tired in the team's 5-4 overtime win over Phoenix on Tuesday. It was Salo's ninth consecutive game since Conklin broke his hand.
The Oilers had traded for Tyler Moss to back up Salo, but Lowe wanted Markkanen back when he learned Tuesday that Conklin's return may not be as soon as first thought.
``We probably wouldn't have done the deal without Jussi involved,'' he said.
Moss is headed to Toronto to join the Oilers farm team.
It was Lowe's third consecutive March trade deadline deal with Ranger's general manager Glen Sather, who presided over the Oilers during their glory years in the late 1980s and early 1990s when they won five Stanley Cups.
``By and large our deals with New York have worked out pretty well for both teams,'' Lowe said.
Nedved will likely be reunited with Radek Dvorak, whom the Oilers acquired from the Rangers last year.
Lowe called Nedved someone who got lost in the shuffle among the bigger names on the Rangers squad.
``We know he can still skate,'' Lowe said. ``We know he's a competitive guy.''
He said he told Nedved there's no guarantee the club will make the playoffs but they would love to have him playing playoff hockey this spring.
``He said: I hope I remember how,'' Lowe said.
The deal scuttles rumours Salo may be on his way out of town at the trade deadline, but Lowe said how his starter plays the rest of the year will determine whether he will be in an Oiler uniform next year.
Salo is in the last year of his contract, but the club has the option of picking him up another year.<
Nedved, 32, has appeared in 65 games for the Rangers this season, registering 14 goals and 17 assists.
In 478 career games with the Rangers, Nedved collected 149 goals and 202 assists for 351 points.
Markkanen, a former Oiler, has appeared in 26 games with New York this season. He posted a 8-12-1 record with a 2.56 goals against average.
Helminen, 20, has played 32 games this season for the University of Michigan Wolverines of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA). He has accumulated 13 goals and 10 assists for 23 points, along with four penalty minutes.
The native of Hancock, Mich., was originally Edmonton's eighth-round selection, 244th overall, in the 2002.
Valiquette, 26, has made 35 appearances with the AHL's Toronto Roadrunners this year, posting a 14-14-5 record and 2.59 GAA. He also dressed for one game with Edmonton this season.