Fans Having Field Day With Juicy Rantanen to Oilers Rumor

The moment the words came out of Andy Strickland’s mouth, it was inevitable that the fan base of the Edmonton Oilers was going to jump all over the comments. Strickland, who hosts the Cam & Strick Podcast and is a St. Louis Blues’ beat reporter, said on his show, “You want to know where Mikko Rantanen is going to end up? Edmonton. He’s going to Edmonton.”

His co-host Cam Janssens asked how the Oilers could afford Rantanen given their hefty contracts and salary cap situation. Strickland responded:

” Cam, don’t ask me to break down the cap. There’s some belief that they can make that happen. So you gotta look at who’s coming off the books, and all that type of stuff. Salary cap is going up, however they structure it. I mean, you just mentioned five teams (where Rantanen might sign this summer). How the hell are any of those other teams gonna pay him? You know what I’m saying? Everyone’s up against the cap.”

He then added: “They’re going to be able to pay him #1. And I think that there would be some interest from him.”

That was all it took for Oilers fans to go buck wild.

Oilers Fans Trying to Wrap Their Heads Around Rantanen Fitting on the Books

Let’s first admit this feels like a host having fun with the fan base he knew would go gaga over this. Second, let’s call it what it is: even if there is a link between Rantanen and the Oilers — it’s a long shot. All that said, can it work? Sure.

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Stickland wasn’t incorrect when he mentioned that Leon Draisaitl and Rantanen have the same agent. If they want to have those conversations, there’s an easy way to share that mutual interest.

Also, if the reports from Rantanen are accurate that he would have taken less to stay in Colorado and was surprised by the trade, it’s logical to assume he won’t stand firm on $14 million per season to sign with a team he really likes.

There is, of course, the option of a deferred payment contract — as unlikely as that might be. It would bring his annual cap hit down, with the Oilers then paying out the difference when his contract is done.

Finally, the Oilers could move contracts out, thus making room for on the arguably best forwards in the league.

Who Would Go from the Oilers?

The immediate departure would be Jeff Skinner. The way things are going, he’s not coming back next season anyway. From there, the Oilers need to either let Corey Perry, Connor Brown, Kasperi Kapanen, or John Klingberg walk. If they keep them, it has to be at equal or lower value deals than they’re all on now.

Edmonton would likely need to convince a player with a no-trade/no-move clause to waive. That’s Evander Kane, Darnell Nurse, or Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. The Oilers could easily trade Adam Henrique. He lacks trade protection and teams would gladly take on his $3 million contract.

It’s not impossible, but it’s a lot. Of course, with every move or exit, Rantanen then has to look at the roster and ask how competitive it is.

Next: Scribe Identifies New No. 1 Need for Oilers at Trade Deadline