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Oilers Most Obvious Trade is Not For a New Goalie

If the Edmonton Oilers are going to make an offseason trade to improve the team, it might not be for a goalie, like everyone thinks.

As the Edmonton Oilers try to check off a laundry list of to-dos this summer, one of the consensus sentiments is that general manager Ken Holland might look around the league via trade for a goaltender. With names like Darcy Kuemper (Arizona Coyotes) Elvis Merzlikins (Columbus Blue Jackets) and John Gibson (Anaheim Ducks) potentially all available, that makes sense. However, according to a source close to the team, it might not be a netminder the Oilers try to add via trade.

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Tom Gazzola, who covers the Oilers closely, is a former employee of the team and now does hits on podcasts and radio shows for TSN, suggests the left-wing position might be where Holland focuses his trade efforts. Calling it the easier position to fill, teams that have to move salary or are handcuffed heading into the NHL Expansion Drafts are also organizations that might try to dump salary in a position where they have a perceived surplus of options. It’s a ripe opportunity for Edmonton to grab a strong player on the cheap.

Speaking on the Oil Stream podcast with Dustin Nielsen, Gazzola didn’t detail which player or players the Oilers might target, but there are a few names that come to mind almost instantly.

A Few Potential Options for the Oilers

There’s Jake DeBrusk out of Boston, where the Bruins have a number of free agents to take care of and are rumored to be a team that could inquire about Oliver Ekman-Larsson. If the Bruins are adding Ekman-Larsson, they’ll need all the additional cap space they can get.

Jake DeBrusk Rickard Rakell Evander Kane

There’s Jakob Voracek out of Philadelphia. Depending on how badly the Flyers want to shed his salary, GM Chuck Fletcher might be willing to retain some of the winger’s $8-plus million per season.

There’s Evander Kane out of San Jose, where the Sharks may look to dump his contract after rumblings he’s got huge locker room issues with members of the team. Again, the Sharks might need to retain some salary, but if the Oilers can get him at around $5.5 million per season when all is said and done, one would have to think Holland would take a look.

Rickard Rakell is a player the Oilers would love to have out of Anaheim, but he won’t come cheap. This may be the one player where the expansion draft doesn’t factor is as much as it does for other teams. Still, it’s a trade idea Holland should inquire about.

Next: Golden Knights to Explore Possibility of Adding Jack Eichel Via Trade

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4 Comments

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