Edmonton Oilers: An Eberle Trade Would Complicate Expansion Draft

The Edmonton Oilers reportedly have offers on the table for Jordan Eberle, and there are plenty of names on the trade market that deserve consideration.

However, the Oilers wouldn’t be wise to pull the trigger now. When it all comes down to it, the team should wait until after the expansion draft. If they don’t, the Oilers will land themselves in a sticky situation regarding the expansion draft.

First off, the Oilers plan on taking the 7-3-1 route. Their plan is likely to protect Leon Draisaitl, Patrick Maroon, Milan Lucic, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jordan Eberle, Zack Kassian, and Mark Letestu on the forward lines. Also, Edmonton will likely protect Andrej Sekera, Oscar Klefbom and Adam Larsson as the three defencemen. The Oilers will protect Cam Talbot, leaving Laurent Brossoit exposed.

Edmonton Oilers

This leaves some other names up for grabs, but nothing that would completely uproot the Oilers roster. In fact, the most notable name is Benoit Pouliot. If he were taken, the Golden Knights would relive Edmonton of a $4 million cap hit and take on a struggling player.

However, trading Eberle would not make this possible. Here is a range of Eberle trade scenarios that would hurt the Oilers.

If Eberle is traded before the draft for a defenceman

This scenario is concerning. This would give the Oilers another defender to protect (given who’s available on the market). With that in mind, Edmonton would switch to the eight skater protection plan. Here, they would protect four defencemen and have to let a big name go. Out of these names, they would see players like Kassian, Khaira or Letestu head to the Golden Knights. This would take away a lot of de

Out of these names, they would see players like Kassian, Khaira or Letestu head to the Golden Knights. This would take away a lot of depth on the Oilers roster and create another large hole they will have to fill.

If Eberle is traded before the draft for a forward

Though not likely, considering this isn’t what the Oilers are looking for over the trade market, not much would change. This new forward would take Eberle’s spot, and the Oilers would still use the 7-3-1 protection detail. Again, this will probably not happen, but it’s worth discussing as a possibility at most.

Next: Edmonton Oilers: Potential Eberle Trade Targets

If Eberle is traded after the draft

This is the best option for the Oilers. They will not have to worry about leaving names exposed or sacrificing anyone else en route to a new player. The Oilers will have no problem keeping their big names while also acquiring a solid player in return. If Edmonton just waits patiently and looks for the right deal to come along, they should be fine. But pulling the trigger before the expansion draft comes with implications.