On the Edmonton Oilers …
Pierre LeBrun of ESPN: Milan Lucic and Jason Demers were scheduled to meet with the Oilers today in Edmonton. The Oilers have had a strong interest in Lucic.
Hearing that 10 teams have already expressed interest in Lucic.
Several teams have contacted Demers camp.
” Jim Nill told us two weeks ago that he would let Jason hit the free-agent market,” Sauve said over the phone Tuesday. “He would have liked to re-sign Jason but he said the team would have some cap issues. He said we’d keep in touch but that the team would let him go UFA at this point.
“Since Saturday , we’ve had contact from teams, we’ve got action,” added Sauve. “He should be in decent demand with Goligoski and Yandle signing. Jason is a young, right-handed defenseman and there’s good demand for that.”
Demers is only 28-years old and is right handed.
The Oilers also have interest in Kris Russell.
Jim Matheson: Don’t think that Matt Dumba for Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is a fair trade and the Wild would need add more. Dumba is an offensive right-handed defenseman who can play on the power play.
Jim Matheson: Jonas Brodin is further along is his development, but he’s a left shot that plays the right side and he doesn’t bring a lot of offense. He is friends with Oscar Klefbom.
Jim Matheson: If the Oilers are able to find someone who would take on Andrej Sekera‘s $5.5 million contract, they should look into it.
Jim Matheson: Mark Fayne has two years left on his deal at $3.5 million per season. Would be a tough trade.
Ryan Rishaug: If the Oilers are able to sign Milan Lucic, would think the Oilers would look to move Taylor Hall. You can’t have $17.5 milion tied into four left wingers.
Ryan Rishaug: Hall would be bring back a better defenseman than Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. It’s not out of the question that they could move both.
Grant McCagg: Have heard from media and NHL sources that if Jesse Puljujarvi didn’t fall to them at No. 4, they were going to draft defenseman Mikhail Sergachev.
Chris Nichols of Today’s Slapshot: Pierre LeBrun on TSN 1260 on if Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli’s inability to trade for a top defenseman at the draft was a failure, or was it just showing how hard it is it make a deal like that.
“Listen. He will get his defenseman. It doesn’t have to be draft weekend. Obviously there were opportunities there for Peter Chiarelli to get a deal or two done over the weekend, if for no other reason than his 4th overall pick was in place for awhile.
“But there are other ways to make trades, most notably now, especially after drafting Puljujarvi – I mean, the Oilers are absolutely loaded up front. I mean, they’ve got too many top-6 options. They’re rich in one area, and not too rich elsewhere. So the way to fix your blueline will come from one of those forwards, and I have absolutely extreme confidence that Chiarelli will pull the trigger here, if not this week, certainly in the off-season here.”