Happy Monday folks. In just 14 days, the NHL’s annual trade deadline will hit and we can expect the Oilers to be active on the market. Unfortunately, the club won’t be active in the buyers market, as Edmonton is a clear seller at this point in the season. Even with that disappointing fact, it is still a very interesting time of year for this club.
Over the weekend, it seemed like the rumors began to really pick up steam as multiple Oiler executives were seen in various NHL cities. Among those spots? Boston and Montreal, two teams very much open for business right now.
Scouting The Bruins:
As per Jimmy Murphy of Murphy’s Hockey Law, Edmonton Oilers Senior VP of Hockey Ops Craig MacTavish was at the TD Garden on Saturday night to watch the Bruins takes on the Buffalo Sabres. MacT was joined by, according to the official scouting chart, Director of Player Personnel Duane Sutter. Scott Harlow, a regional scout, was also in attendance.
[protected-iframe id=”0d9236278d458a8a938b8836c07316b2-114320562-51660995″ info=”hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw” class=”twitter-tweet”]Murphy would go on to speculate that the Oilers could be looking at Boston defender Torey Krug, but continued by saying on Sunday that a source indicates it is “very unlikely” that Boston moves a player like Krug at the deadline. Considering where Boston is in the standings, I’d agree with that thought.
I took a look at a few options for the Oilers from Boston last week here, and believe that if Edmonton were to move Maroon to the Bruins, it would be for a prospect. Of note, Austin Czarnik played for the B’s in that Saturday tilt before being sent back to AHL Providence early on Sunday.
NBC Sports Boston’s Joe Haggerty also connected the Bruins to Maroon, so this is a legit storyline to watch over the next 14 days. An NHL name to keep an eye on from Boston? Ryan Spooner. He’s a young player with offensive ability that the Bruins aren’t married to at this point in time. The club has also expressed interest in Frank Vatrano previously.
Lastly on the Bruins, Haggerty mentions in his piece that Boston Director of Player Personnel John Ferguson has been scouting Edmonton over the last few games.
To Montreal We Go:
A short flight up north from Boston lands you in Montreal, where Oilers assistant GM Keith Gretzky was on Saturday night taking in the Habs Vs. Nashville Predators matchup. Joining Gretzky was pro scout Paul Messier. This is interesting for a few reasons, because Montreal is also expected to be a seller prior to the deadline.
The Habs do have a few pieces the Oilers could covet, including captain Max Pacioretty and young forward Alex Galchenyuk. Pacioretty would be an upgrade on Pat Maroon for the Oilers on the left wing, and would represent a natural shooter for Connor McDavid to play with moving forward. Galchenyuk, while a risk, is an extremely talented young player and could be a really good buy-low option for the Oilers on McDavid’s wing as well.
Nashville, however, is the likely trading partner. The Preds are poised for another deep run and could be in the running for Maroon’s services as a rental. I also wouldn’t rule out the Preds being interested in Mark Letestu, as the club is rumored to be bringing Mike Fisher back into the fold. The clearly covet veteran center depth.
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