Oilers Trade Rumors Galore!

Some interesting rumors flying around the twitter world recently involving the Edmonton Oilers. The team sits at 4-11-2, in deep trouble, and in need of a major move, a big shakeup if you will. Fans and most media agree on that sentiment, that change is needed to the Oilers roster.

The team lacks consistent goaltending, which was very evident on Thursday night when Edmonton lost a game in Tampa that they deserved to win. They lack any top pairing defenders, evident in almost every game this season. Guys like Smid, J and N Schultz and Andrew Ference are playing roles they can’t handle as a result.

The offense needs a power-forward and a veteran leader, something that really only comes from a trade at this point.

The roster needs to be jigged up, the team needs a different mix. Craig MacTavish has been listening apparently, and he has gone on a tour going through NHL cities and scouting teams that might be open for business.

MacT, joined by Mark Messier and Kevin Lowe, attended the Ducks @ Rangers game on Monday night and Penguins @ Rangers game on Wednesday night. The trio was also in Carolina on Tuesday for the Hurricanes home game against Philly. Lowe and MacTavish were in Boston last night watching the Panthers and Bruins game. Four nights, four games not involving the Oilers for MacT…Interesting no?

So what might be up with the team? Well there is no shortage of rumors out there right now, and no shortage of trade partners either. Let’s look at each angle.

The Ducks Angle:

Edmonton Journal writer Jim Matheson had an article up within the last week talking about the Oilers having a high interest level in goaltender Jonas Hiller of the Ducks. It makes a lot of sense from both sides. The Duck has Viktor Fasth at the NHL level, and stud youngsters Jon Gibson and Frederik Andersen in the system. Hiller is a free agent and I doubt the Ducks re-sign him after the season.

From an Edmonton view, Hiller is a proven goalie and an upgrade on Dubnyk in a pretty obvious way. It makes sense for both sides, and even if a trade doesn’t happen I could see the Oilers (As Matheson says) go all in on Hiller as a free agent this coming July. The Oilers scouted Anaheim on Monday, but Andersen got the start over Hiller.

The Rangers Angle:

The Oilers scouted two (Monday and Wednesday) Rangers games this week, and a trade between the sides makes A LOT of sense. The Oilers need defense, which NY has a lot of, and the Rangers need scoring forwards, which Edmonton has.

The Rangers, according to Larry Brooks, seem to be interested in forwards Ales Hemsky and Nail Yakupov, but are more interested in the former first overall pick Yakupov. Yakupov seems like a perfect fit in NY, and could benefit from a change of scenery and getting a feature role. NY has struggled scoring this year, and lack a guy with Yakupov’s skill set.

From an Oilers perspective, names like Michael Del Zotto, Ryan McDonagh, Marc Staal and Dan Girardi have been tossed around for defenders, and guys like J.T. Miller and Chris Kreider up front. The Oilers would benefit from adding a good all-around defender like Staal or McDonagh, who both are top pairing guys and would greatly improve Edmonton’s defense. A guy like Girardi would be pretty helpful to a hurting blue-line too.

The Panthers Angle:

Panthers GM Dale Tallon made the move to fire his coaching staff this morning, and also promised player moves in the near future. The Panthers, like Edmonton, are done this season. both teams have young cores but areas that need fixing, and both teams are going to have flaming hot seats to get into the playoffs next season. That said, the Panthers have a little more time than Edmonton does to build the team.

The Panthers are inclined to move almost all their veterans, including useful guys like defenders Tom Gilbert, Dmitry Kulikov, and Brian Campbell. Forwards like Scottie Upshall, Marcel Goc, Brad Boyes and Kris Versteeg are on the market as well to be moved, and could be of interest to Edmonton.

There haven’t been direct talks that we know of, but the Oilers were scouting them Thursday night and they have pieces that could greatly help them out. A guy like Kulikov would instantly become Edmonton’s top defender, while a guy like Scottie Upshall would be a great third line winger with some grit for the team.

The Flyers Angle:

Flyers writer Tim Panaccio tweeted out this morning the following: “Told today Flyers are talking with EDM about Eberle”. That’s an eye opener and certainly caught my attention when scanning the twitter world today.

Both Philly and Edmonton are teams that are struggling and anticipated being better this season. Both teams are in need of a change and both have some big pieces that could help the other team. Eberle would be huge for the Flyers, a much needed infusion of young talent and finesse play to the line-up.

For Edmonton, the targets are obvious. A guy like Braydon Coburn would greatly help Edmonton’s defensive woes, while a forward like Sean Couturier or Brayden Schenn would greatly help Edmonton’s center depth, which is still an issue. A guy like Wayne Simmonds or a forward like Scott Hartnell would also be of interest for the Oilers, as they would help fill holes on the roster.

A deal between these two sides makes a lot of sense, and the Oilers did scout them on Tuesday night. Darren Dreger tweeted out that the Oilers envision Eberle as an Oiler for life and aren’t using him as a trade bait. While I think it is highly unlikely that Eberle is moved, I’m not totally ruling the possibility out here, especially considering Philly is involved.

Well Then…..

So what does it mean? Keep an eye on Edmonton in the trade world. Craig MacTavish improved this team in the off-season, you can see it on the ice most nights, but the results aren’t there. It’s frustrating, and the holes are so obvious. It’s a matter of time before a move is completed and with all the scouting trips and rumors, one has to think it is coming soon. Stay tuned.