Is Patrick Eaves On the Oilers Radar?

(Today’s rumour is a fabrication of my own after taking a look at TSN’s Trade Bait List)

Let the speculation continue!

With TSN releasing their annual “Trade Bait” list for this year’s Trade Deadline, there are a ton of angles to look at if you’re an Oilers fan. The emergence of the team into a playoff contender has transformed them into buyers on the trade market, and the prospect of acquiring rental player has become a legitimate possibility.

One of the rentals on the list that caught my eye was that of Patrick Eaves. Eaves, who currently plays for the Dallas Stars, is a 32-year-old RW in the midst of career year. The veteran has put up some impressive numbers with the Stars thus far, scoring 19 goals and 33pts in 54 games.

The Stars are an underperforming team this season and they could look to capitalize on Eaves’ newfound success. The Oilers, on the other hand, are presently in the market for a RW that can kickstart their offense.

The Player

As mentioned above, Patrick Eaves is currently achieving some career highs this season. The increase in production was unprecedented by many around the league, and this could signify a veteran player finally finding his stride. At age 32, Eaves isn’t someone that will tow the line for any premier offense but, alongside skilled young players, he has become an exceptional secondary scorer. His stature comes in at a fairly average range, standing 6’0 and 200lbs, leaving plenty of room for agility.

Initially seen as a utility player when he resigned with Dallas this past season, the Stars have put him in a position to succeed. According to LeftWingLock.com, Eaves is paired up with the dynamic duo of Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin almost 35% of the time. This could give us a testament as to how he plays with skilled players, something Edmonton has plenty of.

Lastly, one of the biggest things that can be said about Patrick Eaves’ game is his power-play success. He currently leads the Stars in PP goals for with 10.

Overall, Patrick Eaves is a veteran winger that has seemingly found his stride playing alongside two of some of the NHL’s most premier players. He offers versatility, grit, and, recently, an avid scoring touch.

Why Should Edmonton Be Interested?

There are plenty of reasons why Edmonton should be inquiring about Patrick Eaves.

Being that Eaves’ plays on the right-wing, an area of need for Oilers at the moment, this alone should get Peter Chiarelli intrigued. The opportunity for Eaves to slot into any one of those 4 RW spots would allow some flexibility within the roster and could help the Oilers accommodate potential injuries up front. Outside of Jordan Eberle, the team does not have many options to play with when it comes to natural right-wingers. Leon Draisaitl, who is a natural center, has been skating alongside Connor McDavid’s right side for the better part of the second half of the season so far but, if injuries force him to move back to the middle, then the Oilers could be in a world of trouble.

Patrick Eaves, who has succeeded with skilled young players could come in and provide to be a valuable asset during this year’s postseason push. The need for a suitable RW option beside Connor McDavid is needed and, while Eaves is by no means a long-term solution, maybe the Oilers could catch lightning in a bottle with them. This would also allow McLellan to spread out the offense by moving Draisaitl to another line.

He would also provide the Oilers to be put in a low risk, high reward situation. His contract is expiring this summer, and his remaining cap hit is a measly 1-million. Depending on how much the team would have to give up, which I will discuss in just a few moments, the Oilers could simply let him go at season’s end if things don’t work out. Peter Chiarelli should definitely be looking into acquiring Eaves at this year’s deadline.

He isn’t a player that will take you to the next level, but he will make the Oilers a little stronger and versatile when they make it into the final stretch.

The Cost?

As to what Patrick Eaves would command back in a potential trade with the Oilers, that depends on a variety of things.

I get the sense that the Stars don’t really want to part ways with the 32-year-old winger from Calgary unless they absolutely have to. He is a guy that they paid the bare minimum for and it has paid off huge for them so far into this season. If the Stars are in a selling position by the time the deadline rolls around, perhaps they start shopping him for a cheaper price, cheaper meaning a mid-to-late round pick. However, if we see them on the verge of playoff contention then it might take as much as a third-round pick to get him outta there.

Although Eaves might not be a player worth this much, playoff teams usually have to overpay to get assets off these teams, even if they have the player for a limited time.

To Conclude:

If I were Chiarelli, I would definitely inquire about his availability and see if he can be had for cheap. If the Stars continue to push for a higher returns like that of a 2nd-3rd round pick, I hang up the phone.

The fit is there with Edmonton but it takes two to tango in these sort of situations.

Thanks For Reading!

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