When the NHL Trade Deadline comes around this season, the Edmonton Oilers want to be buyers. The squad will be seeking to improve if they can, but they’ll need to be careful not to ruin the dynamic within the team or where they spend their money. The issue is that significant changes are occurring and the market is beginning to establish itself. Sean Monahan was traded to the Winnipeg Jets and Elias Lindholm to the Vancouver Canucks. These two players may have looked nice wearing the Oilers’ uniforms.
Neither player could afford the price. The Oilers will need to deal with this issue before March 8. Does that imply that GM Ken Holland can’t pursue any major deadline deals? Maybe not.
The likelihood of Jake Guentzel visiting Edmonton is uncertain. To be honest, it’s unclear how likely it is that the Pittsburgh Penguins will ever move the extremely successful winger. However, it’s reasonable to presume the Oilers at least investigate this if he’s going to be relocated.
If his club cannot agree on a deal, Dubas will not hesitate to move Guentzel. There will be a queue up for his services if and when that occurs. The Oilers will have to pay a high price to close that deal, but if he’s the man they see as the perfect complement to Leon Draisaitl, then they should feel confident taking a risk on him.
Would the Oilers Try to Move Money and Upgrade on the Blue Line?
While it’s reasonable to question if Jakob Chychrun is a better match for the blue line or whether defenseman Sean Walker of the Philadelphia Flyers is an improvement for the Oilers, Edmonton has the potential to make a significant trade that includes either. If not these two, a similar type of trade might be on the team’s radar with Holland moving out a player like Cody Ceci to clear cap space.