Oilers GM Chiarelli on adding an extra forward and on Nurse contract talks
Paul Gazzola of EdmontonOilers.com: The Edmonton Oilers have 13 forwards under contract for the upcoming season. GM Peter Chiarelli is taking his time and exploring the possibilities for a 14th to bring to camp.
They are considering PTO’s, potential prospects and possibly waiting to see if other teams put players on waivers.
“I’ve been asked quite a bit about that 14th forward,” Chiarelli said. “We’ve talked to a number of players on PTOs. We’re going to look at waivers and see what’s available there.
“We’re going to kind of take it slowly because we also have some guys that may compete and beat out guys – younger players – that might be in that category.”
Paul Gazzola of EdmontonOilers.com: Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli was on 630 CHED yesterday talking about restricted free agent Darnell Nurse. Chiarelli is confident that they’ll be able to get Nurse signed soon but added negotiations with RFAs can take longer.
“There are just different leverage points and it’s no accident that there is a long list of restricted free agents (in the NHL),” he said. “It happens every year and Darnell is in that group.”
Chiarelli added that during July there is usually a bit of quiet period when it comes to talks.
“We keep a consistent dialogue but there’s a little bit of a lull,” he added. “Generally, they’re important players if you look at the list and the teams keep working away at it. It’s not really in the limelight and you don’t hear about it because it’s a bit of a slower process.”