As per TSN’s Bob McKenzie, he would not be at all surprised if Edmonton Oilers winger Jordan Eberle was traded prior to the roster freeze on Saturday.
McKenzie was a guest on Toronto 1050 and discussed a possible Eberle deal. In his eyes, he said there’s no certainty as to when he’ll be traded, but it should be soon.
“…I would say it’s more likely than not that the trade happens before the freeze on Saturday for obvious reasons, you know, protection issues, whatever the case may be,” McKenzie said on the show.
Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers must have a deal that they cannot turn down if they are trading prior to expansion. If Edmonton deals Eberle prior to the deadline, it would complicate the expansion process. The team is currently using the 7-3-1 route, but if they get a top-four defender in return, they will have to use the 4-4-1 protection detail.
This would result in Zack Kassian and Mark Letestu being exposed, and the Oilers cannot afford to lose one of these names. Edmonton could convince Vegas to take someone else, and hopefully, if this is true, that is the route they will take, no matter the cost.
Why Now, and Where?
As we discussed yesterday, Darren Dreger said that the New York Islanders and Colorado Avalanche were the two top suitors for Eberle. He also mentioned that at least six teams are interested in Eberle. With the trade happening so soon, it must be a deal the Oilers cannot refuse.
Perhaps they are getting a top-four defender like Travis Hamonic or Tyson Barrie, and need to step on the gas now. However, they could also be talking to other teams and acquiring other pieces besides the most speculated. It’s also possible that Edmonton would clear Eberle’s salary out and get a lesser-value forward out of the deal. That, of course, wouldn’t be as messy for Edmonton when it comes to expansion.
Not to mention, the Oilers’ trade partners likely need to worry about their protection plan as well. This marks another reason that the deal would have to happen before Saturday. As the Edmonton Journal pointed out, Colorado has no true worries when it comes to the expansion draft, so a more likely partner for Edmonton would be the New York Islanders, if of course it’s down to those teams.
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The situation will likely change as the hours go on, and there is a possibility we could see a deal soon. Teams are required to submit their protection lists to Vegas Saturday.