There have been struggles in Edmonton this fall, that is no secret. What will be done about this franchise worst start? We’ve talked about the coach, and we’ve talked about trades. Eventually, especially if the losing continues, something will have to give, and that something very well could be a trade.
What kind of shake-up could happen? Who could be going out and who could be coming in? Heck, who would the other team even be in this case? Well, word out of Philly suggests that it may very well be the Flyers.
The website Broken Bell Sports, a Philadelphia sports blog that appears to be well connected, is reporting that Edmonton and Philadelphia are currently engaged in trade talks. You can read the piece here.
The Players Involved:
This should come as no surprise, but the Oilers are interested in two centers and a defender from Philly. The article names centers Brayden Schenn and Sean Couturier along with defender Luke Schenn. The Oilers have been long rumored to love the Schenn brothers, dating back years to when Luke was in Toronto and Brayden was in Los Angeles. Back a few years, Brayden was the rumored asking price for Ales Hemsky.
Brayden Schenn is a center that is deemed an offensive threat, while Luke Schenn is a shut-down defender that likely is best suited as a number four or five defender. Sean Couturier is one of the best young defensive centers in hockey and has decent offensive potential as well. He’s the crown jewel here, and would join the Oilers top-six as the pivot behind Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.
From a Philly stand point, the guys of interest, according to the report, are David Perron, Jeff Petry and Jordan Eberle. Petry makes a ton of sense as Philly is looking for puck-moving defenders, while both Eberle and Perron would supply offense to go along side top-line pivot Claude Giroux.
Philly has been long interested in Eberle, and Petry is likely on his way out the door in Edmonton, so those two make the most sense to be going the other way.
Does It Make Sense For Edmonton?:
Moving Jeff Petry makes no sense, he’s Edmonton’s best defender, but clearly the team does not value him, and he will be moving on at some point this year regardless. I’ve written so much about how the Oilers need to change the mix of their roster, and moving one of the kids has been something I have discussed at length.
Moving Jordan Eberle isn’t something Edmonton should do just for the hell of it, but if the return is going to be helpful to building the team and changing the mix, then it makes sense. If you move a winger like a Jordan Eberle, who plays in a position of strength, for a big center with offensive potential and great defensive skill like Sean Couturier, then you are changing the mix and sending a message. You can argue you are making the team better too.
If Edmonton were to go out there and snag a guy like Sean Couturier, I can get behind that. The Schenn brothers? That’s kind of a different story. Brayden Schenn kind of reminds me of a lesser RNH. He’s not great defensively and his offensive potential isn’t nearly as high as RNH. He’s not really a change of pace player for the Oilers.
Luke Schenn? He’s a shut-down defender that is pretty much a younger version of Nick Schultz, the defender Edmonton traded Tom Gilbert for back in the winter of 2012. That’s a pretty rough comparison. Moving Jeff Petry, a number three defender, for a guy like Schenn, a number four at best, likely a five, just does not make your team better.
From a Philly stand point, all of these guys make sense for their perceived holes, and would likely improve their current roster.
The Overview:
A trade likely is not imminent. That said, there is a lot of smoke here. Not only is this report out there from Broken Bell Sports, but thefourthperiod.com also mentioned that the Flyers are interested in a player on the Oilers roster. If the losing keeps happening in Edmonton, and it very well could, then a trade would be the likely option.
This is something to keep an eye on moving forward. If Edmonton falls tonight to Tampa Bay, and then again to Washington on Wednesday and Carolina on Friday, then this team is in a lot of trouble, and a change will likely have to happen.
If Edmonton goes out and brings home Sean Couturier in a trade, then you can count me in. If it’s the Schenn brothers? That could be a massive problem for a team looking to get out of the gutter.
A trade with Philly could help change the mix in Edmonton, and at this point that could very well be what is needed. There’s been a lot of smoke for over a year between these teams, eventually there is bound to be fire.
Keep your eyes on these rumors moving forward.
[adsanity id=1808 align=alignnone /]Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
