We are right in the pocket of the busiest time of the year for NHL General Managers, specifically Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland.
With July 1st approaching quickly, many fans are wondering which direction their respective teams will be heading. In the case of the Oilers, fans should expect a busy next few weeks from Ken Holland, but the magnitude of the trades/signings may be underwhelming. However, with all the rumors flying around, there’s no doubt that Holland and staff will have the opportunity to make a major splash if they want it.
In the next week, we are going to take a look at all the options that may be open for the Oilers in a trade or via free agency based on rumors that have been spewing out recently, and how the team would be able to make these moves work. The Oilers don’t have a ton of cap room to work with here, so most of these deals are reliant on moving out a big contract like Kris Russell, or buying out someone like Sam Gagner. Especially if the team is looking to make some significant additions in free agency. First up, we’ll dive into the possibilities on the trade front (a route that I believe presents much better options):
Trade Options:
- In Elliotte Friedman’s ’31 thoughts’ he explained that the Rangers offered up Chris Kreider to the Avalanche for the 16th overall pick in this year’s draft, which was obviously declined. It makes you wonder if a package of Jesse Puljujarvi and Ethan Bear with a pick could lure the consistent 20-goal winger out of the big apple. He comes with a modest cap hit of $4,625,000 for what he brings to the table. Which means the Oilers would likely have to move out a contract in another deal for this to work. Only 1-year left on his deal, which makes him a risky option to allocate high-value assets towards.
- Another guy I have a lot of time for in New York is Vladislav Namestnikov (I know most people don’t share the same appeal I have for this guy). He’s not going to cost you anything close to the farm, in fact, I’ve even heard speculations that teams could acquire an asset in return for taking on his $4,000,000 contract for next season. Namestnikov has shown he can play with some of the most talented players in the league and excel, he’s young (26), and his salary is probably around the same as what the Oilers will have to pay for a guy on July 1st. Not to mention his one-year term is a lot shorter than what a free agent signing would be given. Personally, I think he’s got a lot more potential than some of the guys the Oilers have been rumored to be targeted in free agency. He might be a riskier player but is honestly not a very risky option based on the value to acquire him and the fact that he’s only on a one-year contract. Maybe Edmonton could send a bad contract the other way as well.
- Things continue to heat up on the Jason Zucker end, and everybody seems to have Edmonton linked to his name. He came extremely close to being moved to Calgary on the deadline and appears to still be available this off-season. If Edmonton could put together the right package, I think Zucker would make a lot of sense. His cost might be similar to what we suggested for Kreider. Puljujarvi and a pick then maybe you could switch out Bear with someone that has some cap like Matt Benning. So it’s not quite as hard to swallow Zucker’s $5,500,000 cap hit. As far as getting a winger that can produce in bunches, Zucker would be one of the best available. Hopefully, he would be cheaper to acquire than J.T Miller.
- If Florida does indeed sign Artemi Panarin as expected, you have to think someone shakes loose out of that top-six forward group. With Mike Hoffman being the obvious odd-man-out. Put aside the off-ice drama of his fiancee because the man can score… a lot. An instant upgrade to the Oilers forward group and if it comes to the point that Florida needs to move him, the price shouldn’t be too crazy to get him here.
- As of right now, the Vegas Golden Knights are one of the most cap-strapped teams in the NHL, which means that they are going to have to move some pieces… quickly. Sending Erik Haula to the Hurricanes may have changed that, but with the right deal a team could still possibly pry out a guy like Alex Tuch, or if looking for a defenceman could try Colin Miller. I’d be very open to bringing in either of those guys to Oil Country
- Looking more into the depth forwards now, I can’t stop thinking how much a trade involving Connor Brown and Benning makes sense for both clubs. Brown could be a player the Oilers can slot almost anywhere in the lineup, and he’ll bring a physical presence along with some scoring touch. Edmonton has enough depth defencemen in the system so they can afford to move Benning elsewhere. A lot of smoke following this one earlier in the year and like I said it makes SO. MUCH. SENSE.
- Still along the lines of a depth forward, this could be an opportunity where the Oilers can slightly take advantage of a team that’s hurting on the back end. Edmonton could send them Russell’s 4 million dollar contract and bring back a depth winger around the 3 million dollar range. Finding a team to eat all of Russell’s contract would be a tough task, so maybe this could be a way the team can save at least a bit of cap while also adding to a bone-dry forward group. Tough to say which teams might be interested in a deal like this
Those are some of the options that have seemed the most intriguing to me and could be realistic avenues the team takes. I’m curious to know which of these players you’d like to add, which ones you’d avoid with a 10 foot pole, along with what other players around the league you think could be a good fit for the Oilers?
Next Up, we’ll be taking a look at who should be the Edmonton Oilers top targets heading into Free Agency. See you then!