Oilers Would Face Hurdles in Marcus Pettersson Trade with Penguins

Since the moment it was learned that the Pittsburgh Penguins were open for business and willing to trade anyone not named Sidney Crosby, scribes and insiders started trying to make connections between the Penguins and other clubs. Who did Pittsburgh have that would fit on other teams? In Edmonton, local reporters and writers did the same, with Marcus Pettersson popping up as a name that might be a match. Unfortunately, as nice an idea as that is on paper, there are hurdles for the Oilers when it comes to Pettersson that might be too hard to overcome.

One could argue that the Oilers desperately need defensive stability. Pettersson makes sense for several reasons. However, even though he’s reliable and a pending UFA, making this move work is far from straightforward, presenting both cap and roster complications.

Pettersson, a reliable left-handed defenseman, brings offensive instincts and strong puck-moving ability, which could greatly aid the Oilers’ transition game. Having played alongside elite defenders like Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson, Pettersson has shown he can thrive when paired with dynamic partners. Yet, his $4.025 million cap hit creates a significant hurdle for Edmonton.

Oilers Don’t Have the Cap Space or Players to Make This Trade

Edmonton could go into LTIR to make a trade, but their best plan of action would be to trade dollar for dollar. The Penguins might be open to it seeing as they want to try and stay competitive with Sidney Crosby on the team, but what can the Oilers offer up?

Currently, the Oilers carry 12 forwards and seven defensemen. Trading away a forward like Derek Ryan, Connor Brown, Corey Perry, or Mattias Janmark would offer minimal cap relief. The same goes for moving Ty Emberson, Troy Stecher, or Travis Dermott on the back end. This isn’t a deal where Edmonton can dump their less important assets to a team just looking to move money.

The Penguins are retaining salary on two players already, so if the team is going to retain on Pettersson, it needs to be worth their while. Sending down one defenseman and trading another could free up more space, but that still leaves Edmonton needing Pittsburgh to retain $1.5 to $2 million of Pettersson’s salary. This scenario would likely require including draft picks as compensation.

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Swapping a higher-paid player like Adam Henrique, Jeff Skinner, or Brett Kulak is another option, but it raises the question: would the Oilers really be better off making that trade? Seeing as how Kulak has played this season, moving him for Pettersson isn’t offering the Oilers a benefit. Skinner holds a full no-move clause and Henrique took less to stay with the Oilers. He doesn’t hold trade protection, but the message that gets sent when you move a player who committed to a Stanley Cup push for less money isn’t a good one.

Edmonton likely isn’t moving Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to make this deal and the other top forwards are untouchable.

Pettersson Is a Nice Idea That Doesn’t Really Work for the Oilers

While Pettersson could address some issues, his fit is imperfect. He’s a left-shot when the Oilers really need a right-shot and he’s a bit too costly to make work without something significant going back to Pittsburgh. For the Oilers, this is a complicated gamble that may or may not be worth the steep price.

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