Is Jakob Chychrun the right type of defenseman for the Edmonton Oilers?
Mark Spector and Adam Vingan of Sportsnet: The Edmonton Oilers could use a young, left-handed defenseman.
Arizona Coyotes Jakob Chychrun with two years left a reasonable $4.6 million seems like a no-brainer even if it costs them Dylan Holloway, a first and a prospect. Well, not so fast on the no-brainer.
The Oilers are third in the league in scoring, propped up by the top power play. They are 20th at even-strength scoring. They already have puck moving defensemen in Tyson Barrie, Evan Bouchard and Darnell Nurse. The Oilers are 23rd in goals against at even strength and 21st in shots allowed.
A left-handed shutdown defenseman may be a bigger need than an offensive one.
One scout said they should be looking at Joel Edmundson or Luke Schenn.
Merkley wants out, can the Sharks move Karlsson, and will anyone waive their NMCs?
Corey Masisak of The Athletic: (mailbag) San Jose Sharks defenseman Nick Merkley is looking for a fresh start somewhere else. He was a 2018 first-round pick, 21st overall, and hasn’t been having a good season in the AHL. He does have 14 assists in 30 games but there may be some inconsistencies with his competitiveness.
Erik Karlsson has four years left on his deal at $11.5 million. Retaining half would put it at $5.75 million a season. Could they add an asset to not retain salary or not half of it? Would there be any team wanting to take on his full contract? It’s likely a short list of teams that would even consider him at $8.5 or $9.5 million. Karlsson will also have to want to play for that team.
To take the full contract, would it take two first-round picks, or a first and second? Giving up a top-five pick this year just to move Karlsson doesn’t make sense. They may get another first-round pick if they move Timo Meier. With the cap going up in future years, it may be better/easier to move him then.
It seems unlikely that Tomas Hertl would want to waive his no-trade clause. Logan Couture has a three-team trade list and likely isn’t going anywhere. Marc-Edouard Vlasic has said he doesn’t want to waive his no-movement clause.
Some teams might look to move assets soon to help increase their chances of landing the number one pick. Teams in the bottom-six could look to make some moves in the next week or two. The salary cap could get in the way of this though as many teams have cap issues.