We are now just over 24 hours away from the NHL trade deadline, and the Edmonton Oilers have yet to make a deal. Both Brian Boyle and Martin Hanzal, the top center choices on the market, have been traded and last night Kevin Shattenkirk was moved as well.
The Oilers must address center, I looked at the remaining options last night, but that isn’t the only position of need for the club. Edmonton could use a veteran backup goaltender, and adding a scorer on the wing is likely also on Peter Chiarelli’s to-do list over the next 30+ hours.
One option in net could be former Oiler Anders Nilsson, who is actually having a very good season for the Buffalo Sabres. Jim Matheson speculated as much yesterday.
If Oilers want to retrieve G Anders Nilsson from Buff to back up Talbot may cost 4th rounder. MacT scouted Buff last 2 gms.
— Jim Matheson (@NHLbyMatty) February 27, 2017
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Nilsson’s numbers this season have actually been quite good. He has a 19-9-8 record on the year with a 2.69 GAA and .921 SV%. That would be a massive upgrade on both Jonas Gustavsson and young Laurent Brossoit in the backup spot for the remainder of the season.
Nilsson also has the added luxury of knowing this team and system. Last year with Todd McLellan’s Oilers, Nilsson was solid early on in the season before falling off in January and February. In fact, Nilsson was the man between the pipes during Edmonton’s best stretch of hockey in early December, when he won four in a five game winning streak for the club.
Nilsson has had a really good season for the Sabres and would be a comfortable option for Edmonton. The Oilers got a 5th round pick in return for him last year, and the market for goalies isn’t good this time around, so I think the Oilers could easily get him for a mid-round pick, as Matheson suggests.
While a Nilsson trade wouldn’t make the Oilers a contender all of a sudden, it would certainly shore up an area of need. I think this will be something to watch as we approach the deadline.
Eberle Island?:
Would the Oilers actually move Jordan Eberle? Would Peter Chiarelli have the stones to actually make that kind of move during the season? I have my doubts on both fronts, but it appears that there is some traction here. The Islanders are hot after Eberle, and the smoke is only getting thicker.
The Fourth Period touched on the rumors here, suggesting that the Islanders have been keeping an eye on Eberle and have been after him for quite some time. The website also later published another piece (here) that suggests the Oilers are shopping the winger and don’t involve him in their long term plans.
I touched on the Eberle to New York chatter last week here, and my thought process remains the same. I’m not at all sold on Ryan Strome as an option for the Oilers, even though some have connected the dots. He had a horrible 2015-16 campaign and has only slightly recovered this year. I think it would be a step back for the Oilers, even considering Eberle’s down year.
Adding a sweetener like Jaroslav Halak, while addressing a hole, doesn’t equal the value in my mind. While some would be okay with an Eberle for Strome and Halak deal, I’d be quite disappointed. To me, that deal would weaken an already fragile forward group and would be selling Eberle when his value is at its lowest. That, folks, is not smart management.
I would keep Eberle as of now and hope he can contribute during the playoff push and into the postseason. In that case, he can either rejoin the core group or build his trade value for a better return come the off-season.
I’d personally stay far away from this deal, but I’m also a little worried about the amount of smoke surrounding Eberle and the New York Islanders at this time.
Buckle up folks, it is going to be an interesting next day and a half.
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