On the Oilers …
- Mark Spector of Sportsnet: The Oilers are going to make a significant trade at some point. Could be today, before the trade deadline, but most likely occurs at the draft in June. GM Peter Chiarelli is figuring out which current parts can get them a legitimate No. 2 defenseman – possibly a No. 3 defenseman as well.Significant trades are almost impossible to make during the season. Chiarelli obviously didn’t like what the Islanders were wanting for Travis Hamonic or they would have already made the deal.
Have asked some people around the league on what they would do if they were running the Oilers.
Eastern Exec: “Trade (Taylor) Hall and (Ryan) Nugent-Hopkins. Build around Connor McDavid and (Leon) Draisaitl. Eberle stays. Go after a puck-moving defenceman that can make a pass and make players better.
Western Coach: He’d move RNH first, then Eberle second.
Eastern Exec: “They need a leader in their top 6 who can play with these kids. All the guys they’ve brought in to provide leadership have been bottom of roster players,” he said.
Western scout: He’d trade Nugent-Hopkins, because as a centre, that would bring back the highest return. “I wouldn’t trade Hall. No way,” he said.
Western Exec: “You’d get the most for Hall,” he said of the NHL’s third most productive left-winger over the last three seasons. “I like Hall, but there is a missing level of engagement, somehow. You want to love him. He plays hard, with reckless abandon. He tries, he battles. But there is this lack of awareness, it seems to me.”
Of note, Nail Yakupov or Justin Schultz weren’t considered as players who could significantly improve the Oilers if traded – could be complementary pieces in a deal if needed.
On the Oilers and Red Wings …
- Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal: Wild’s defenseman Jonas Brodin would be an obvious trade target for the Oilers. The Wild could use a center over a winger like Jordan Eberle.
- Many think the Red Wings talent is under-sized and that they lack bigger grit in the top nine. They only really have Justin Abdelkader.
- The Red Wings will likely be taking offers on Jimmy Howard this offseason.
- If the Oilers won the draft lottery, would they take another center in Auston Matthews or a defenseman like Jakub Chychrun?