On the Edmonton Oilers, Colorado Avalanche and Tyson Barrie …
David Staples of the Edmonton Journal: There have been many defensemen tied to the Edmonton Oilers about a potential trade. Bob Stauffer of Oilers Now radio was talking about the troubled contract situation between the Colorado Avalanche and defenseman Tyson Barrie.
Stauffer believes there would be six to 10 teams interested in Barrie, and that the asking price could come down as the offseason moves along. Stauffer thinks the Oilers might be able to trade for Barrie without having to include Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. The Avs are a budget team and have RFAs Nathan MacKinnon and Tyson Barrie to deal with this summer.
Adrian Dater reported that negotiations between the Avs and Barrie were moving along, but then hit a snag recently. Stauffer thinks that Barrie is looking for a deal in the $5.5 to $6 million range. Patrick Roy referred to Barrie as a No. 5 defenseman despite playing the second most minutes on their blueline. Stauffer’s scenario on how the Oilers might be trade for Barrie without giving up RNH.
“My guess is they trade him before signing the big contract. My guess is they might trade him before arbitration. I will take it one step further. People said, ‘Well, how do you do it without trading Nugent-Hopkins?’ You go to Anaheim and you Anaheim a condition No. 1 (draft pick). A Top 5 protected pick to the Anaheim Ducks, OK, plus something else not named Nugent-Hopkins or Eberle for Cam Fowler. Because (Avs GM) Joe Sakic wants a defenceman back in a deal for Tyson Barrie. And then you give Cam Fowler and something else to Colorado, and that’s how you get Tyson Barrie.
“But you might have to do a three -way in order to make it happen. And the reason I mention Anaheim is Anaheim is another team that is an internal budget team. They are a budget team and they’ve got to get Hampus Lindholm signed. And they’ve got some money to take on a forward. (Nail) Yakupov has been mentioned in the past. I know (TSN 1260 announcer) Jason Gregor mentioned Yakupov or (Benoit) Pouliot to Anaheim after the All-Star break. I don’t know if that’s feasible or not.
“To me that is how you’d do it without trading Nugent-Hopkins, is you’d be prepared to give up your No. 1. The other thing about Fowler is he’s got two years left at $4 million bucks. So maybe the price point works for him (Sakic).”