Scribe Rules Out “Obvious Candidates” for Oilers Ahead of Trade Deadline

According to Allan Mitchell of The Athletic, the “obvious” candidates for the Edmonton Oilers at this season’s NHL Trade deadline might not be so obvious. Mitchell listed several names in a recent column, calling many of them names insiders and analysts are frequently throwing out in connection with Edmonton not realistic. He ruled out many, one by one.

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Mitchell referced a recent list by Chris Johnston:

“They include a plethora of right-handed defencemen: Dougie Hamilton of the New Jersey Devils, Luke Schenn of the Winnipeg Jets, Justin Faulk of the St. Louis Blues, Connor Murphy of the Chicago Blackhawks, Andrew Peeke of the Boston Bruins, Zack Whitecloud of the Calgary Flames, John Carlson of the Washington Capitals, and Braden Schneider of the New York Rangers.”

First things first, Mitchell says both Hamilton and Carlson own cap hits that make a deal difficult for Edmonton. He then notes, “The asset cost on that [Carlson] trade would be through the roof, and the same goes for Hamilton (although he’s having a less impressive season).”

When it comes to Faulk, his $7 million cap hit is “probably a bridge too far”.

Second, when it comes to Whitecloud, he notes, “the Flames aren’t going to want to help the Oilers win the Stanley Cup, and Whitecloud should be a productive part of that team’s future.”

Third, he ruled out Peeke and Murphy, both of whom aren’t having strong seasons.

So What Will the Oilers Do?

Mitchell mentioned a few names he liked for the Oilers, including Artem Zub. That said, he believes the more obvious play will be to have the Oilers look for internal solutions. That could mean switching up the defensive pairings and maybe adding a depth piece that could play alongside Darnell Nurse.

“The Oilers may benefit from running with Nurse-Bouchard and finding a capable partner for Ekholm,” writes the scribe. He also believes that if the Oilers are going to take a swing, GM Stan Bowman should spend his trade assets on a substantial right-handed defenceman, not worrying about a lower-end piece.

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