With two big name players already moved weeks before the trade deadline, things are starting to heat up. The Edmonton Oilers have been playing very well over the past few weeks, but that doesn’t mean they don’t intend on making a huge splash at the deadline and bringing in someone who can help push them to a Stanley Cup this season and beyond.
It has been a very busy weekend and it appears as though something could go down very soon for the Oilers. All at once, they have been heavily linked to three of the top remaining trade candidates around the league. Due to the cap, only one of the three is a possibility to add mid-season, so let’s dive into the rumours and see who they are and how likely a deal is.
Patrick Kane
The price to acquire a rental defenceman this season appears to be fairly high. I don’t think it’s worth it for the Oilers to bring in someone like Vladislav Gavrikov or Joel Edmundson if they are going to cost a first round pick or more, especially the way Philip Broberg and Vincent Desharnais have handled their roles. It appears as though Patrick Kane is going to cost just a tad more and help the Oilers clear much-needed cap space for the remainder of the season and next.
Take the word of Mark Spector as you will, but he reported that, “My sources tell me the Blackhawks would retain half of Kane’s $10.5 million salary, take Warren Foegele and Jesse Puljujarvi to make the money work, and require a first-round pick and a prospect — not Holloway or Broberg — in return.” Keeping Holloway and Broberg are key here as the Oilers have to be willing to part with their first round pick for an actual upgrade. Plus the prospect would be someone like Xavier Bourgault or Reid Schaefer. It’s worth it to move one of them as the Oilers still have a lot more talent at forward in their system.
Kane would make the Oilers’ top-six nearly unstoppable and really add to the second power-play unit that has gotten a bit more time as of late. His money would work with Puljujarvi and Foegele moving out, while Yamamoto can play in the bottom-six where his production dictates he should be.
Erik Karlsson
Though acquiring Kane is more likely than a defenceman at this point, that hasn’t stopped the Oilers from re-engaging in trade discussion with the San Jose Sharks for their All-Star defenceman Erik Karlsson. The Oilers may not need a rental on defence, but acquiring a big-name player who will be around for multiple playoff runs is much more intriguing and worth it. The Oilers have to take advantage of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in their prime and under contract, so adding the leading Norris Trophy candidate right now would only make the team better.
Chris Johnston reported that, “word is the Sharks and Oilers have re-engaged on Erik Karlsson trade discussions. There are considerable financial hurdles on both ends, but it’s at least the second time this season they’ve explored a potential fit.” At an earlier date, the cost was very high to acquire Karlsson, leaning towards north of two first round picks or an equivalent for the Sharks to only retain 18 percent. That’s not going to work for Edmonton as it will have to be closer to 40 percent retained.
Related: Sharks’ Erik Karlsson Open to Trade – 4 Potential Landing Spots
To have a player like Karlsson on the right side for four more years around something like $7-8 million inserted into the already top offence of the Oilers will make them Stanley Cup favourites. His health is a concern, but it appears as though he has gotten over that this season and back to peak form. There could also be a stipulation thrown in for one of the assets making it so the Oilers only give up another first rounder if Karlsson plays a certain number of games.
Jakob Chychrun
The final big target that the Oilers have been linked to from the start is Jakob Chychrun. He appears to be on his way out in the next couple of days as the Arizona Coyotes’ PR tweeted the reason he wasn’t in the lineup.
ROSTER UPDATE: Coyotes D Jakob Chychrun is a healthy scratch tonight versus the St. Louis Blues due to trade related reasons. F Liam O'Brien is day to day with an upper body injury. Defensemen Victor Soderstrom & Dysin Mayo have been recalled from the Tucson Roadrunners (AHL).
— Arizona Coyotes PR (@AZCoyotesPR) February 12, 2023
The Coyotes have been trying to trade him for some time now but the asking price is very high, understandably so considering he has a cap hit of $4.6 million AAV for two more seasons and he is one of the best defencemen in the league when healthy. But health has been a concern. The only season the 24-year-old has not been injured is in 2020-21 when he finished 10th in Norris Trophy voting. He can score goals, log lots of key minutes, and do it all. Since returning from injury this season he has seven goals and 28 points in 36 games.
Daniel Nugent-Bowman, Oilers writer for The Athletic, doesn’t think that Chychrun is headed to the Oilers or Los Angeles Kings. So where is he headed? Though it may not be a high probability with the asking price likely starting with Broberg, if a deal can get done without moving him, I’m all for it.
The Oilers are going big this season, and for good reason. If they land any of these three players at or before the deadline, they are all in and should not only win the division, but surge deep into the playoffs. They would have a huge lineup advantage over many teams in the west.
