The Oilers fell 2-1 in overtime in New Jersey last night, but there was plenty of interesting news to come out of “The Rock” in Newark. The most interesting thing? A tweet that came from Oilers insider Bob Stauffer, mentioning how four key members of the Flyers brass were in attendance, scouting the Oilers.
Those key member? Flyers GM Paul Holmgren, assistant GM Ron Hextall, and pro scouts Dave Brown and Al Hill. Now, nothing can happen for two weeks thanks to the NHL’s Olympic roster freeze, but it is certainly something to keep an eye on moving forward, especially as we near the March 5th trade deadline.
These rumors are nothing new. You might remember Craig MacTavish and Kevin Lowe both taking in the Flyers/Bruins game in Philly exactly two weeks ago, and might recall how Edmonton nearly got defender Braydon Coburn from the Flyers on draft day for three second round picks.
The Hockey News mentioned earlier this week how physical stay-at-home defender Luke Schenn could be a target for the Oilers, while The Fourth Period mentioned a few weeks back that the Flyers asked about Oilers star Jordan Eberle. While nothing is certain to happen, it feels like the Oilers and Flyers have discussed some pretty big names since draft day some 200 odd days ago.
The Oilers need defense, and the Flyers have that. Guys like Luke Schenn, Braydon Coburn or Andrej Meszaros won’t make the Oilers contendors, but it will help them on the blue-line. The Oilers love power-forwards as well, and the Flyers have Wayne Simmonds on their roster.
It’s not a surprise, but the Flyers are looking for a winger to play with center Claude Giroux. Jordan Eberle could be a target there, while Ales Hemsky isn’t out of the question either. The Flyers have been rumored to like him as well, and have reportedly inquired about him before.
The Fourth Period has also mentioned that the Oilers like center Sean Couturier. With all that information being out there, is there a deal to be had between Edmonton and Philly?
It makes sense, the Flyers are under a lot of pressure to get into the playoffs, and could use some extra fire power, while Edmonton is currently trying to shake up their roster and put together pieces for next season.
The Oilers have their well documented needs. They badly need help on defense, and will require two guys that can play in their top-four, with one being a top pairing option. The team needs a second line center, some bigger forwards, and some bottom six help. It’s a lot.
The Flyers might be able to provide that, which makes them such a good fit in terms of a trade. Coburn isn’t going to fix Edmonton’s top-pairing, but he will help their defense in a big way. Couturier? He’s exactly the two-way kind of player Edmonton needs on their second line.
To get guys like Couturier and Coburn, Edmonton will likely have to pay a hefty price. Could Jordan Eberle, a player the Flyers clearly like, be the price for these two? Could a large package involving let’s say, Ales Hemsky, Oscar Klefbom and more get it done? I’m not sure.
The Flyers are interested in both Eberle and Hemsky, we know that much, and we know what Edmonton likes from Philly. Will this equal a trade around the March 5th deadline? We can’t say for certain, but this isn’t the first time we have heard of these teams talking. Usually where there is prolonged smoke, there is a fire.
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