Oilers Trade Deadline – What We Know

The trade deadline is fast approaching on Wednesday and the rumors throughout the NHL are flying around like tanning lotion in an episode of Jersey Shore. There isn’t much however regarding the Oilers, so I thought I’d do a quick blog on what is out there about the Oilers, stuff we may already know, and then I’ll put my spin on it.

The Bait

On the market for the Oilers are Sam Gagner, Ales Hemsky, Ryan Smyth, Nick Schultz, Anton Belov and Ilya Bryzgalov. Ryan Jones’ name is also likely to be tossed around in discussions with GM Craig MacTavish.

One also would have to think that if bold is to be MacT’s word of the day any of Jordan Eberle, Nail Yakupov, Jeff Petry, Martin Marincin and this year’s first round pick may also be available. Of course the return is going to have to be significant. When the players named above are mentioned I cringe a little, then I am always reminded of a quote from Kady Hobbins during an episode of Oilers Rig Radio, “If one of those guys is going to be traded, fans won’t be upset because the return will be so great the Oilers fans will automatically love it”. Hope so.

The Scouts and the Possibillities.

We know that the Oilers pro scouts have been on the road scouting as many teams as possible. Oilers scouts were spotted today in Philly, and have also been spotted around the Rangers, Blue Jackets, Devils, and Penguins organizations frequently in the last number of weeks. I’m sure there are many many more that I’ve missed being publicized or are being kept quiet. I’d likely add Buffalo, Detroit, Florida, Los Angeles, Toronto and Montreal to this list.

Of these teams Philly seems to be the name that keeps popping up and you have to wonder if MacT and Holmgren are once again talking about a significant deal. We all know that the two were close to a deal at the deadline. Coburn, Simmons, and Couturier are the most likely targets from MacTavish.

Teams on the list of known scouting targets that peak my interest and may be a bit surprising are the New Jersey Devils and Columbus Blue Jackets. There are rumors that the Devils aren’t happy with first overall pick Adam Larsson, wonder what it would take to get him from Lou Lamoriello.

From Columbus I’d be very ok with a player like Jack Skille who is currently playing in the AHL for the Springfield Falcons, where we know Oilers Scouts spent last weekend watching hockey. I’d also have time for RJ Umberger and/or Boone Jenner who would both be able to play in the top nine with Edmonton very easily.

The Likelyhood.

The more and more the rumors spread around the more I think that we may see actual NHL pieces come back, but it’s going to cost some of the prospects on the farm. I really think MacT is working the phones hard to improve the team and there may be a few small pieces added now and then the bold move we’ve all be waiting for will happen on draft day. Here’s hoping for more than just draft picks coming to the Oilers next Wednesday.

Thanks for Reading