Connect with us

Edmonton Oilers

Oilers Elect Not to Waive James Neal, Team Working Hard on Trade

The Edmonton Oilers did not waive forward James Neal on Monday. He’ll either be waived tomorrow or a trade is in the works.

As per a report by Jason Gregor of TSN 1260, the Edmonton Oilers have elected not to place forward James Neal on unconditional waivers for the purposes of a buyout today. Edmonton is quickly running out of time if they want to do so, which suggests either they’ve decided not to buy him out, or there’s a trade in the works the Oilers think they might be close on.

Related: Niklas Hjalmarsson to Retire From NHL After 14 Seasons

Gregor posted a series of tweets about Neal on Monday. Among the statements were that the Oilers have been working on a deal over the weekend that might have fallen apart. That doesn’t mean the deal is dead, only that GM Ken Holland wasn’t able to get it done in the timeline he was hoping for. Gregor also writes that there could be a few scenarios in play.

First, he believes the Oilers might still be working on a trade and that not waiving Neal today suggests one is close. Second, he notes that Bakersfield Condors’ forward Cooper Marody might file for arbitration (the only Edmonton RFA eligible for arbitration) then that would open up a second buyout window. Finally, the Oilers may have elected to keep Neal.

Gregor has said in the past he thinks Neal can still help Edmonton and that the forward could get the team 15-20 goals if healthy. In the end, it’s likely Edmonton tries to move him one way or the other and Gregor notes, “And they can put Neal on waivers tomorrow for buyout as well. I sense will wait until last moment in case they can secure trade first.”

Which Teams Might Be Open to a Neal Trade

It’s tough to know which organizations the Oilers might be talking to. The natural first guess might be the Arizona Coyotes as they’ve been taking on salary over the course of the past few days and trying to get draft picks for helping teams out. Edmonton doesn’t exactly have a ton of draft picks to move, so that may not be the best fit, but the Coyotes are one of the few teams who have eagerly tried to add big money cap hits, picking up Andrew Ladd, Shayne Gostisbehere and others.

James Neal Edmonton Oilers
James Neal Edmonton Oilers possibly waived tomorrow for buy out

Buffalo, Detroit, New Jersey, and Seattle are also teams that have more than $30 mil in cap space. Neal has two seasons remaining on a contract that will pay $5.75 million per season on the salary cap. There are no bonuses or differences in actual dollars versus salary cap dollars.

Neal had 5 goals and 10 points in 29 games for the Oilers this past season. He was plagued by an injury, the COVID virus and wasn’t a regular in the lineup, moving back and forth between the roster and the Oilers taxi squad.

Next: Golden Knights Close to Signing Extension With D Alec Martinez

2 Comments

2 Comments

  1. Pingback: Maple Leafs Still Haven't Made G Frederik Andersen a Contract Offer

  2. Pingback: Maple Leafs Still Haven’t Made G Frederik Andersen a Contract Offer – Hockey 1 on 1

Leave a Reply

More News

Discover more from NHL Trade Talk

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading