On the Edmonton Oilers, New York Islanders, Colorado Avalanche and Winnipeg Jets …
- TSN Insider Trading: Darren Dreger: Think that Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jordan Eberle could be traded, but there is no specific time frame for that to happen. The Oilers need a top four defenseman. They need to be bigger and stronger upfront. Moving one could happen before the trade deadline, but it could also linger until the draft.
- Pierre LeBrun: If the Oilers move one, it kind of resembles the cutting of the cord of the failed rebuild by the old management team.
- Bob McKenzie: There is pressure for the Islanders to make the playoffs this year and GM Garth Snow can’t make a Travis Hamonic trade for future considerations. Names that have come up include Tyson Barrie (COL), Oscar Klefbom (EDM) and Jonas Brodin (MIN). Jacob Trouba from the Jets would be a great fit, but he’s a pending RFA and the cost to bring him in would be enormous.
- Darren Dreger: there is little interest from the Jets to trade Trouba to the Islanders or anyone else. The Jets want to extend Trouba, but what is the cost going to be to do so?
On the Edmonton Oilers …
- Ryan Rishaug: “Couple Oiler thoughts, A trade to shake up the core group is inevitable IMO, though more likely in off season. PC likes a strong, hard team, and this group is anything but. Only so much room for softer skill, so changes will be made. IMO only untouchables are McDavid, Hall, Nurse and Draisaitl, everyone else can be moved. 93 and 14 among them if return is right. No doubt IMO that PC is willing to move either of them. Surely he won’t rush or deal from weakness, but if proper deal comes, it gets done.”
On the Edmonton Oilers and New York Islanders …
- Chris Nichols of Today’s Slapshot: Darren Dreger on TSN 1260 on trades, the Oilers, and the Islanders.
“Well, I wish I could say that something could happen before then. But it is so difficult. There have been no trades this regular season and there’s a reason for that. It’s all salary cap motivated. And if you’re trading away a player that’s going to make a difference elsewhere to get a player that you hope is going to be a difference-maker on your club, then really you’re just swapping pieces, right? So I think you need a bit more time before those type of deals truly come to the forefront.
“Look, we’ve spent a lot of time talking about the Oilers’ interest in Travis Hamonic. We know it’s real. But Chiarelli doesn’t want to give up Darnell Nurse or Oscar Klefbom to make that deal happen, and I don’t believe that Garth Snow wants Jordan Eberle. At least – and not because it’s Jordan Eberle and how poorly he’s playing, but Snow needs a young defenseman back. So unless there’s a third team that enters the equation, which we’ve talked about over, again, the last week and a half to two weeks, then it’s almost impossible to do. And it’s a highly-complicated maneuver.
“But it’s going to be challenging for Chiarelli. He needs his players to play better to position himself better for a significant deal. Right now, with all due respect to Eberle – again, who’s trying to get healthier and trying to get 100 percent up to speed – could you move him? Yeah, you could move him, but not for what you expect to get back in return. And that’s just the unfortunate reality of his game right now.”