Are The Oilers Done Trading?

As the calendar turns to September, hockey fans everywhere begin to prepare for training camp and eventually the regular season, which opens for Edmonton on October 12th. A line from GM Peter Chiarelli caught the attention of Oiler fans this past week, when he told Edmonton media that he was happy with his team and likely done making moves.

Knowing Peter Chiarelli and how he operates, I chose to take that statement with a grain of salt. Throughout his tenure in Boston, and in Edmonton, Chiarelli has rarely telegraphed his moves. No one saw the trades for Griffin Reinhart or Adam Larsson coming, and those were his two biggest transactions. Zack Kassian, Patrick Maroon, Cam Talbot, Andrej Sekera and Jonas Gustavsson? Minimal, if any, rumors foreshadowed those deals/signings.

The Rumblings:

Bob Stauffer is, for all intents and purposes, the go-to guy for Edmonton Oilers news and rumors. While he isn’t always on target, when Stauffer speaks, you listen. Why? Because he works for the team and is insanely connected. Usually, Stauffer is onto something when he speaks.

This verbal from an episode of Oilers Now this past week caught my eye on Twitter.

“It would not surprise me in the least if the #Oilers make a trade & add a right-shot D between Sept 25th & Oct 10th” – Stauffer

— Tyler (@akaRCN) September 1, 2016

That’s a pretty specific timeline and specific player type that the Edmonton Oilers would be acquiring here. We’ve all talked, myself included, about this need countless times. Is this foreshadowing to a deal actually happening to fill this need? It would certainly be a welcomed transaction, and one that would immensely help the Oilers.

Dennis Wideman & Cody Franson two names mentioned by Stauffer.

— Tyler (@akaRCN) September 1, 2016

Here’s the caveat, it would not be a sexy name coming to town. Many Oiler fans are dead against trading for Wideman, while a tough season likely has some people low on Cody Franson, who was a much debated free agent target just one season ago.

Would It Be Worth It?:

I touched on Wideman a few weeks ago here, and I stated that I would in fact be in favor of adding the player. Wideman isn’t the player he once was, but he’s only a year removed from a dynamic offensive season and he’s a proven right-shot defender.

The Oilers, as currently constructed, do not have a defender who can run a powerplay and produce offense from the point like Wideman can. It’s not a high bar to climb, but Wideman would represent an improvement. He’d also be the lone puck-mover among the RHD. He’d fill a hole in Edmonton, tough 2015-16 aside.

Franson, like Wideman, struggled last season and is a buy-low candidate. Below is his scouting report via The Hockey News.

In just 59 games last season, Franson registered 4-13-17 for the Buffalo Sabres and proved to be a poor fit with the club. It’s not a good sign for Franson, because he struggled mightily in Nashville at the tail end of the 2014-15 season and into the 2015 playoffs. He’s a rebound candidate, but recent performances aren’t exactly promising. I wrote on him last summer, which you can read here.

Final Thoughts:

When I did a radio hit on TSN1260 yesterday (listen here), I told Lowetide that I didn’t think Peter Chiarelli was done making moves. Based on the verbal above from Stauffer and on the fact that such specifics were mentioned, that thought is strengthened.

Dennis Wideman is a name that has been discussed quite a bit and does in fact make a lot of sense for the Oilers. If Calgary is willing to eat half of his salary, which apparently they are willing to do, then he becomes a very appealing option for the club.

I’d be in favor of Chiarelli buying low on Wideman or Franson and trying to fill that puck-mover hole on the third pairing.

Are the rumblings actually foreshadowing a move? Only time will tell, but I expect to see a move this training camp.