There will be a ton of discussion — especially as the NHL goes on pause over the holiday break — regarding which NHL teams might be interested in trading for defenseman Jakob Chychrun. Since his name hit the trade rumor mill, he’s been connected to no less than a half-dozen teams, the Edmonton Oilers being among them.
Related: More Going on With Jakob Chychrun Trade Rumors Than Meets the Eye
But, according to Elliotte Friedman, Chychrun is likely not going to be a player the Oilers heavily pursue. During his latest 32 Thoughts podcast, Friedman told his co-host, Jeff Marek, “They’re not in it as much as some other teams are.”
Friedman said he’d figured the Oilers would be a good fit and there’s certainly been some chatter that GM Ken Holland might have acquiring a left-shot defenseman high on his priority list, but Friedman noted that a couple of his sources close to the Oilers say they “don’t think it will be the Oilers.” He didn’t reveal why, only that Edmonton is not among the serious suitors.
Logic suggests that the salary cap would be an issue for Edmonton. Even though Chychrun is on a team-friendly deal, the Oilers are tight up against the salary cap ceiling. Any deal is tough when there’s money involved, especially if the player is not a rental and there’s no chance of salary retention in a trade.
So too, the Oilers like their prospects a great deal. There’s talk that Chychun could fetch as many as four pieces in a deal and that means Edmonton has to part with some pretty good assets. Whether that’s a player like Dylan Holloway or, worse, Evan Bouchard, Edmonton isn’t wanting to go there.
Friedman did admit that he could be wrong when he excludes the Oilers from the conversation. Both he and Marek figured Chychrun is exactly the type of player that would fit in Alberta. For now, he’s going on what he’s been told and that is, the Oilers aren’t big players here. We’ll see if that changes over time.
Next: What Would the Oilers Be Willing to Trade for Jakob Chychrun?
