Czeching Out?

We’ve all heard the rumors, that Oilers forward Ales Hemsky will be moved by the March 5th trade deadline. Personally, I feel that it would be a mistake to move him, and many others agree. Our friend Lowetide did a piece yesterday over at Oilers Nation talking about re-signing 83, but is that realistic? Sadly, I don’t think so.

Hemsky has admitted that he expects to be traded, and last April we heard Craig MacTavish say it was time for a fresh start for the skilled forward. While nothing materialized over the summer, it’s very possible some offensively starved teams could be looking for a last second add to push them into the dance, and maybe even further.

Possible Suitors:

So who could be interested in Ales Hemsky? Bob Stauffer brought up on his Oilers Now show last week a few possible players for Hemsky, mentioning the Montreal Canadiens, San Jose Sharks and Pittsburgh Penguins. All three of these teams are expecting to get into the playoffs, and all three of these teams are looking for some sort of offensive help.

Pittsburgh:

The Penguins lost forward Pascal Dupuis to a torn ACL earlier in the season, and are looking for some help winger wise. Stauffer mentioned how the Oilers eating half of Hemsky’s contract for the season could increase his value, as it would only count for $2.5 M on the cap for the Penguins. It makes sense, as the contract expires after the season, it can’t hurt Edmonton moving forward.

The Penguins could move young defender Simon Despres, who seems to have fallen down the depth chart with the emergence of Olli Maatta. Despres is only 22 years old, and has some good puck moving skills to his game. The former first rounder could be a good fit for the Oilers. Draft picks could be an option here too, as Edmonton doesn’t have a 2nd or 3rd round pick this year.

San Jose:

Stauffer mentioned that the Sharks had a group of pro scouts following the Oilers on their recent east coast road trip. The Sharks are in the market for scoring and defensive depth, so while that could mean a deal for Hemsky, it could also mean a deal for someone like Nick Schultz or Anton Belov.

The Sharks make a ton of sense here, as they need a secondary scorer and a responsible veteran, which is a bill Hemsky fits perfectly. Like with the Penguins, Edmonton would likely want to increase value by eating half of the contract for the season.

From Edmonton’s perspective, the Sharks could offer up picks to replenish the Oilers stock here, and probably little else. The Sharks have some players of interest, but they won’t be moving them at the deadline. Prospect wise, there really isn’t much here either.

Montreal:

This is a pretty interesting one. The Habs’ offensive production has dried up quite a bit over this last stretch, and the team desperately needs help. The rumors seem to always have Jaromir Jagr going here, but it’s unlikely the Devils deal him right now. P.A. Parenteau has been rumored to be Montreal bound for a few weeks now, but we still have yet to see anything materialize.

Hemsky would get a better opportunity role-wise in Montreal, and would likely be united with fellow Czech Tomas Plekanec. Jonathan Willis mentioned how Rene Bourque could be a target here, and that makes sense. The Habs are looking to move the Alberta native, who has decent size and needs a change.

Defensive prospect Jarred Tinordi is a perfect fit for Edmonton, but is likely too big of a price to ask for in return for Hemsky. Again, like the Sharks and Penguins, picks are the most likely return here.

The Other Possibilities:

Well, like Lowetide mentioned yesterday, re-signing Hemsky is possible. Yes, it is unlikely, but it is possible. Hemsky has played quite well on the third line this season, and I would be far from opposed to having him back. He’s a very good player that knows the system and can be trusted.

Ottawa has been mentioned in Hemsky talks forever it seems. They were the most logical fit in the summer, and could use a bit of a boost right now for a playoff push. Could Edmonton grab center Zack Smith in a deal?

Columbus is another possibility, with Nikita Nikitin being a guy I could easily see Edmonton being interested in. The Jackets could use a secondary scorer with the injury issues surrounding Gaborik, and have a plethora of defenders. Nikitin, remember, was a Howson acquisition.

Nothing is set in stone, but it certainly looks like Ales Hemsky is well on his way to a trade out of Edmonton. The teams above have all been linked to him before, and are all starting to be linked to him again.