On the Edmonton Oilers …
Jonathan Willis of the Edmonton Journal: Willis looks at some reason that the Oilers will trade the No. 4 pick.
- GM Peter Chiarelli has already stated he’s willing to trade the pick and that there isn’t much of a gap between Matthew Tkachuk and the next few picks. Teams have already started calling Chiarelli.
- Most teams want top 10-picks. The Oilers have six top-10 picks on their roster and have picked in the top-10 the past seven drafts.
- In most drafts, you can trade for a top four defenseman based around a 2nd round pick package. Moving down from No. 4 to No. 8 could give them more assets to add a defenseman and still draft a good prospect.
- The Oilers may prefer to add a young defenseman over a young forward. The defensemen are expected to go in the No. 6 to No. 9 range, with forwards going in the top five.
On the Philadelphia Flyers …
CSN Philly: On what they think is the biggest need for the Flyers this offseason.
Tom Dougherty – need to find skilled wingers at both the NHL and AHL level. They are still a few years of away, so they should stockpile skilled wingers at the draft. They have five picks in the first three rounds. They should look for a short-term fix through free agency.
Jordan Hall – GM Ron Hextall said it best a few weeks ago.
“We need some upgrade up front,” the Flyers’ general manager said two and a half weeks ago. “We need some goal scoring, playmaking — would be our number one need.”
Greg Paone – Need to re-sign RFA Brayden Schenn, as well as other free agents Radko Gudas, Nick Cousins and Ryan White. Transitioning young prospects is the next step. Sam Gagner and Evgeny Medvedev’s contracts are off the books. RJ Umberger is likely to be bought out. Mark Streit might interest teams in trade, same goes for Matt Read. The Flyers can retain salary in trades.