As much as the Alaska Aces would no doubt like a do-over after their excruciating shootout loss Wednesday night, they'll have to settle for the makeover of a lineup already rendered fluid by injuries.
The ECHL club worked two deals Thursday at the league's trading deadline -- three players headed out of town and two are arriving -- and should also get two principal players back in the lineup Friday when it entertains the Colorado Eagles.
Still, the Aces also lost another forward in Wednesday's 4-3 loss to Colorado in a 17-round shootout, which came after they held a 3-1 lead with less than four minutes left in regulation. Rookie center Ryan Tesink is out with an upper-body injury after taking a high hit from Colorado defenseman Teigan Zahn in the first period. Tesink joins center Tim Coffman (upper-body injury) on the shelf.
The Aces completed a trade Thursday that sent defenseman Colten Hayes and swingman Tyler Currier of Anchorage, who has played both forward and defense, to the Missouri Mavericks for defenseman Landon Oslanski. They also traded defenseman Quinn Sproule, like Currier a former UAA skater, to the Indy Fuel for winger Dean Chelios.
Alaska coach Rob Murray said he expects Oslanski to be in the lineup Friday and Chelios to arrive in time to play in Saturday's series finale with the Eagles.
Murray said winger Brendan Connolly, the circuit's second-leading scorer until an upper-body injury shelved him for nine games, and defenseman Corey Syvret will play Friday. Syvret has missed the last 22 games with a lower-body injury and has not played since Jan. 17.
The Aces acquired Hayes from Missouri in November and last offseason signed Currier, who played his rookie season of 2013-14 in Missouri.
Murray hopes Oslanski, a right-handed shooter like Hayes, can generate offense from the blue line, particularly on the power play. Oslanski had 2-6—8 totals in 23 games with the Mavericks after starting the season with 5-13—18 totals in 35 games with Rapid City.
"I think his upside is on the offensive side of the game,'' Murray said. "If we can allow him some leeway in the way he plays, he can help us out on that, and on the power play.''
Chelios, a rookie, is a 6-foot-2, 185-pounder Murray expects will serve as a depth forward who can add grit to a stable of forwards that are decently skilled but not overly physical.
Murray said he told Sproule, who was in and out of the lineup, that he would try to trade him so the rookie could gain more playing time.
Even though the deal involving Currier and Oslanski was set Wednesday, Murray said, both skated in their team's respective games by mutual agreement between the clubs, which both needed bodies. In most cases when terms of a deal are agreed upon on game day, a team will sit out a player who is going to be traded rather than risk an injury to him.
The Aces sit five points below the Utah Grizzlies in the seven-team Pacific Division, where the Grizzlies hold the fourth and final playoff spot. Alaska has 15 games remaining -- five at home, 10 on the road -- and Utah has 13 games left -- seven at home, six on the road.
Alaska and Utah play two more times, April 3 and 4 in Utah.
Reach Doyle Woody at dwoody@alaskadispatch.com, check out his blog at adn.com/hockey-blog and follow him on Twitter at @JaromirBlagr