According to NHL insider Brian Lawton, he believes the Edmonton Oilers are prepared to, if not shopping, two of their top-four defensemen. Lawton tells Brenden Escott of Oilers Now that Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland will move two of either Oscar Klefbom, Adam Larsson, Darnell Nurse and/or Ethan Bear.
Considering it would be almost impossible to imagine the team giving up on Bear so early is his career, that means one of Larsson, Klefbom or Nurse are going, possibly two of them.
Lawton went on to say, “When you look at what they have in the cupboard, a position that hasn’t been a strong point for them soon will be.” He believes the Oilers are planning to do some long-term planning this offseason, banking on the potential of these upcoming blueliners. He suggests the team will ask if players like Evan Bouchard or a Philip Broberg can replace players on the roster that are making more money and do so for a cheaper rate?
Lawton believes the Oilers could be formulating a plan to move on from a player making four million and replace him with more of an entry-level guy.
A Huge Risk If Accurate
If there’s one thing Ken Holland is not, that’s impatient. This is a GM whose first words when he took the helm of the organization was that he was no longer going to rush players into the NHL. Lawton’s suggestion is that Holland start doing exactly that. He’s suggesting as such because a flat salary cap is going to change the way some managers have to manage their teams.
Holland did say that “Defencemen are at a premium in the National Hockey League” which suggests he might be listening to offers. Still, that doesn’t mean he’s going to bank next season’s success on a group of young defensemen who have virtually NHL experience. If he does, it will be because he truly sees something in one of the youngsters but also gets an offer for one of his veterans he finds hard to turn down.
In fact, Holland was complimentary of his blue line when he said, “We’ve got some good pros back there. They’re all under the age of 30. I want to make sure that we’re all not just reacting to a four-game series in the middle of August.” My take: Lawton’s prediction that two players will go is a long-shot at best.
Next: NHL Likely To Cancel Thursday Night Games
