Could The Oilers Poach Niklas Hjalmarsson from Chicago?

On Friday night, a report surfaced out of Chicago that we could be seeing some fireworks soon with the Blackhawks. Jay Zawaski of 670 The Score got the speculation started with the following tweet.

Lots of smoke around the Hawks tonight. Texts w several sources have me in “hold on to your butt” mode. Good chance core guy is moved soon.

— Jay Zawaski (@JayZawaski670) June 10, 2017

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Zawaski would later tweet that the ‘core player’ is not Hawks captain Jonathan Toews, which leaves us with a few options to look at. Would Chicago trade Patrick Kane? It’s possible, but Kane is a year removed from winning the Art Ross trophy and is still producing at an elite level with no signs of decline. I very much doubt Kane is the guy moving.

Brent Seabrook, due to his horrible contract, makes a lot of sense here, as does Marian Hossa. Seabrook, according to Mark Lazerus, hasn’t been asked to waive his NMC at this point so I doubt he is the one on the move. I also very much doubt that Duncan Keith is the guy moving, as he’s still at an elite level and the goal is still to win in Chicago.

Corey Crawford? He’s an overpaid ‘core guy’ but the Hawks have already dealt Scott Darling this off-season so I wouldn’t count on it. Artem Anisimov, who I would not consider a ‘core piece’, has also not been asked to waive his NMC per Lazerus.

Anything’s possible, but FWIW, neither Artem Anisimov nor Brent Seabrook has been approached about waiving NMCs at this point.

— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) June 11, 2017

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So, based off of the information above and assuming the Hawks aren’t dumping Keith or Kane, that leaves us with Marian Hossa as the core guy. Or does it? Yes, Hossa is still on the table here, but he isn’t the only Blackhawk who could fit the description. Niklas Hjalmarsson has been in Chicago forever and has been a huge part of their defensive core for years.

According to The Fourth Period, teams have been calling about the veteran defender and it is currently unclear if Chicago has asked him to modify or update his no-trade list. Hjalmarsson has two-years remaining on his contract at $4.1 million per season.

Would The Oilers Be Interested?:

I have to think that Edmonton would be interested in this player, mainly because he is such a great fit on a Chiarelli/McLellan team. The only real issue is that Hjalmarsson is a left-shot defender, while the Oilers need a right-shot defender. That said, Hjalmarsson could fill in for Andrej Sekera while he is out and the club could figure things out when Sekera returns from the LTIR.

Hjalmarsson can play big minutes (21:29 per game this past season) and plays a responsible defensive game much like Adam Larsson does. He’s got good size (6’3” and 197 lbs), is a gritty and physical player, and blocks shots whenever called on. He’s an extremely solid shut-down defender with the ability to move the puck and I think he’d be a great addition to the Oilers’ depth chart.

If in fact Hjalmarsson is the guy Chicago is moving from its core, I think the Oilers would be very interested.

Is There A Trade Fit?:

I’m not so sure about that. The Oilers don’t really have anything right now on their NHL roster that makes sense for the Hawks. Jordan Eberle and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins are too expensive for Chicago, while the Oilers won’t move Larsson or Oscar Klefbom. Maybe Matt Benning would appeal to Chicago, but I’m not sure Edmonton is inclined to weaken the right side any further.

According to NBC Sports, however, the Hawks may be looking for cap space and future assets for the ‘core player’ they trade. If that’s the case, perhaps the Oilers could move a combination of picks and prospect to acquire Hjalmarsson. I’m sure Ethan Bear or Caleb Jones would be coveted by Chicago in a deal like this.

Should We Buckle Up?:

I think Niklas Hjalmarsson would be a nice addition for the Oilers and I do believe that they have the assets to get a deal like this done. However, I’m not sure Edmonton will be the team that the Hawks deal with for a few reasons. First, I doubt Chicago wants to send Hjalmarsson or anyone else to a team that they will be contending with next season.

Second, the Oilers likely would want to move cap out before taking on a contract like Hjalmarsson’s. A deal like this likely would only happen after someone like Benoit Pouliot was traded or bought out.

Lastly, Edmonton appears to be trying to acquire a right-shot defender, not a left-shot. In the rumors that we have heard this summer, names like Jason Demers and Travis Hamonic have been tossed around. They are both right-handed. I’m not sure Edmonton is interested in bringing in a LHD.