Draft Day has become the official start of “silly season” in the NHL. With the amount of rumors floating around, today could be a very busy day for the 30 member clubs of the NHL, and the Edmonton Oilers could very well be in the middle of this.
Earlier this off-season, I did my annual off-season targets series and looked at multiple options for the Oilers to plug their many holes with. At the start of that series, I wrote up my shopping list for GM Peter Chiarelli. Let’s revisit that list as today could see moves made to cross off some items.
Shop Till You Drop:
1.) A top pairing RHD to play with Oscar Klefbom/Andrej Sekera
2.) A second pairing D who can play on the PP
3.) A third line center
4.) An NHL level goaltender
5.) A top nine winger
You can read the original post with my thoughts on each need here, and you can read the full list of off-season targets options here.
The Rumors:
So here is what we are hearing regarding the Oilers at this point. The big rumor surrounds PK Subban of the Montreal Canadiens. Personally, I’ll still be shocked to see him get moved, but there is a lot of smoke surrounding this player, more than I ever imagined.
Kris Hansen touched on the rumors yesterday here, while Jon McLeod posted an update earlier this morning here. From the world of insiders, Kevin Weekes of NHL Network tweeted the following on Friday morning.
I’m told @EdmontonOilers making strong push for @CanadiensMTL Subban for Draisaitl and swap of 1st Rd picks,return sounds low.@NHLNetwork
— Kevin Weekes (@KevinWeekes) June 24, 2016
Listen, I’ll be very surprised if a deal happens for PK Subban, but this would be a coup for Peter Chiarelli. Subban would be Edmonton’s best defender since Chris Pronger left town in the summer of 2006. He would immediately make the Oilers group of blueliners respectable.
I’d list the possibility of a Subban trade as less than 50%, but I’ll admit my fingers are crossed that something gets done.
Meanwhile, there are other defenders on the market who would appeal to the Oilers. Kevin Shattenkirk seems like a very solid option that would fit in quite well with the Oilers. That said, there is the issue of Shattenkirk being a UFA in one year. CSNNE.com’s Joe Haggerty mentions that the Oilers aren’t really in here.
Not really sensing Oilers & Coyotes as big players for Kevin Shattenkirk. His desire to sign next contract w/an East Coast team is a factor
— Joe Haggerty (@HackswithHaggs) June 24, 2016
In addition to this, you can cross Keith Yandle off the list of possibilities, as he has signed a monster seven year deal with the Florida Panthers. The pending UFA would have made for a really nice puck moving option for Edmonton.
Lastly, the Yandle deal could push the Panthers to move defender Dmitry Kulikov. The top-four defender would certainly be of interest to the Oilers, even though he is a left-shot D.
Appears to be lots of interest in Florida defenseman Dmitry Kulikov. Nothing close, but worth watching as the day unfolds.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) June 24, 2016
Final Thoughts
I think every Oiler fan would love to see PK Subban walk through that door tonight. Unfortunately, I think that is unrealistic at this time. Even though he is likely Peter Chiarelli’s top target, the odds of Montreal moving their best skater are slim to none. The asking price has to be through the roof and I’m not sure Chiarelli is ready to make a move like that.
That said, I’ll be VERY surprised if the Oilers come home empty handed from this draft. It might not be the sexy option that they get, but I think they are certain to come home with something from this draft.
I still believe that Travis Hamonic is on the table, while the Minnesota Wild are in the market to move some defenders for forward help. It promises to be a very interesting 48 hours in Buffalo.
We’ll be updating the site all day today with rumors and news as it happens.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
