Elliotte Friedman thinks Oilers logjam on defence could present trade opportunities

On the latest episode of 32 Thoughts, Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman hinted at the possibility of the Edmonton Oilers trading one of their blueliners down the stretch.

The Oilers have a deep blueline, arguably one of the deepest in the entire National Hockey League. Although some will take issue with this, their overall talent level proves just how good the blueline is.

The team announced they had activated defenceman Jake Walman off the injured reserve list on Monday. He is expected to make his season debut on Tuesday. The left-handed defender has been sidelined for the Oilers first six games after signing a seven-year deal worth $7 million annual average value.

Walman being activated means that they now have seven defencemen on their active roster, eight when Alec Regula -- who was just placed on the IR list -- is activated and available to play (puckpedia.com).

The Oilers blueline is deep

The Oilers blueline is three lines deep with the ideal pairings being:

Ekholm - Bouchard
Nurse - Walman
Kulak - Emberson

This leaves both Troy Stecher -- a 564 game NHL veteran -- and the 25 year old Regula on the outside looking in. Likely needing to send one or both down to the American Hockey League's Bakersfield Condors.

Currently down with the Condors are a number of defencemen who could step into an NHL role in a pinch. These are players like; Josh Brown, Cam Dineen, Riley Stillman, and Atro Leppanen. This group is a mix of players with upside and players like Brown and Stillman who have proven themselves as leigitmate NHL calibre players in recent years.

Outside of the top-six, the Oilers have another six defencemen who could step into the NHL lineup. Although it is important to have depth, especially at such an important position, it also presents a unique opportunity for the club to use their strength as trade chips, to address a weakness.

Oilers defencemen on the trade block?

Although Friedman did not directly point fingers, there are a large number of players the Oilers could look at. On the NHL roster, someone like Brett Kulak is a defender who has been able to drive good possession results on the third pair, an attribute some teams may find valuable. He also has a reasonably priced contract, carrying a $2.75 million AAV.

This would make him an ideal candidate to be moved, allowing the Oilers to shed some salary cap. However, there are rumours that the Oilers are eyeing an extension for their third pairing blueliner.

Of course, many fans salivate at the opportunity for the Oilers to trade away Darnell Nurse and his $9.25 million AAV. This likely will not happen, the team clearly values Nurse's play and with them contending for the Stanley Cup, it would not make sense without a clear major upgrade.

Outside of them, the most likely players to be moved would be one of the team's depth defenders, likely for a pick that can either be flipped or to help soften the blow of a major deadline acquisition. The Oilers would be smart to be mindful of some of the NHL calibre depth potentially blocking the development path for prospects like Beau Akey or Damien Carfagna.

It will be an interesting storyline to watch unfold and is a rumour that will need to be kept an eye on.