Oilers Rumors – The Times, They Are A Changin

The Edmonton Oilers will, once again, finish in the bottom five of the NHL this season. That, on the face of it, is completely unacceptable. Yes, there were some improvements made and those simply cannot be denied. On top of that, the Oilers also faced many key injuries this season, and that impacted the final result.

All things considered, the Oilers took a step back in the standings this season and that just can’t fly. Bob Nicholson and Peter Chiarelli have had a year to evaluate things and simply did not come to Edmonton to lose. Chiarelli, in his previous stops in Ottawa and Boston, never grew used to losing. I highly doubt that he will be complacent with finishing 28th/29th/30th. I think it’s safe to say that Chiarelli will be putting his stamp on this roster in the off-season.

“We’ll see what happens this summer. Not just Yak, but a lot of guys could be gone.” – Taylor Hall on Nail Yakupov’s trade request. #Oilers

— Rob Tychkowski (@Sun_Tychkowski) March 28, 2016

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsThis quote, from Monday, is bang on. Nail Yakupov requested a trade and he’ll likely be the first that goes, but thinking that he will be the only bigger name to move is, to me, a poor assumption. After six years of rebuilding, the Oilers are still a complete mess. Peter Chiarelli has no loyalty to these players and is here to build a winner. After staying the course for years, there is a lot of smoke suggesting that bigger things are coming this summer.

LeBrun: “I’m not sure there’ll be a busier team in Canada than the Edmonton #Oilers this off-season.”

— Chris Nichols (@NicholsOnHockey) March 28, 2016

And this goes along the lines of what a lot of us are thinking. The Oilers will enter this summer having missed the postseason for ten straight seasons and having picked in the top ten for eight consecutive years. That, quite frankly, is an appallingly long stretch.

Heading into a new building and having the next big thing in Connor McDavid has certainly turned the heat up in Edmonton. After an evaluation year, the new management team is likely to put their stamp on this roster finally. It’s a change that is long overdue and it’s a change that will be both painful and beneficial to the Edmonton Oilers organization.

LeBrun’s statement, to me, indicates that Edmonton has a plan and will be very active in achieving that plan. Big names going out and more balance coming in seems to be what we are looking at here.

LeBrun thinks Nugent-Hopkins would get the #Oilers a better defenseman via trade than would Eberle.

— Chris Nichols (@NicholsOnHockey) March 28, 2016

LeBrun/RNH: “If he’s the guy that nets you what you desperately need… then that’s something you’ve got look at, in my opinion.” #Oilers

— Chris Nichols (@NicholsOnHockey) March 28, 2016

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//platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsSo here, the first big name on the list not named Yakupov. We heard about the Oilers potentially offering Nugent-Hopkins to Nashville for Seth Jones earlier this year, and we have heard people like Ryan Rishaug hint at the fact that the Nuge may be in play this summer. LeBrun’s above line indicates that RNH is in fact in play and that he may be the piece moved this summer for a defender.

The Islanders (Hamonic), Hurricanes (Justin Faulk), Wild (Spurgeon) and the Blue Jackets (Savard) are all potential landing spots. Trading RNH would also, in my mind, require the addition of a center via trade or free agency.

I think it is time for Oiler fans to prepare themselves for trade involving RNH. I’d assume it comes draft weekend, interesting times.

LeBrun: McDavid, Draisaitl untouchable. But… “I think as soon as you trade Taylor Hall, you’re chasing his replacement for years.” #Oilers

— Chris Nichols (@NicholsOnHockey) March 28, 2016

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsConnor McDavid is a generational talent while Draisaitl is a big forward with lots of skill. Those pieces are so hard to get that you really can’t deal them away. These are key building blocks for Edmonton, and the Oilers know that.

There’s been a lot of debate surrounding Taylor Hall and I’m on the record saying that I would trade him if you got a player of EQUAL value back. That said, I’ve always thought those who are chasing Hall out of town, and they are real, are very off base. This is an elite offensive producer and LeBrun is right, if you trade him, you are chasing his replacement for years.

This signifies, to me, that Taylor Hall is certainly in play for the right deal, but that we should assume Hall sticks around and that the asking price is very, very high. I’d be stunned if Hall was dealt this off-season.

There is already a lot of smoke surrounding the Edmonton Oilers, and we can certainly learn from the musings from insiders like LeBrun. Everyone has grown tired of looking forward to the off-season, but this one has a real chance to be “The off-season of change” in Edmonton.

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