Pros and cons of trading Taylor Hall and more in today’s collection of Edmonton Oilers speculation.
It wouldn’t be a good idea for the Oilers to trade Taylor Hall.
EDMONTON JOURNAL: David Staples examines the pros and cons for the Edmonton Oilers of trading first-line left wing Taylor Hall. Unless the Oilers get back a top defenseman like P.K. Subban, Oliver Ekman-Larsson or Erik Karlsson, Staples believes they’re better off keeping Hall.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Exactly. Not only that, but trading Hall for a top defenseman addresses one problem while creating another, that being a distinct lack of skilled scoring punch at left wing.
If the Oilers are in the market for an experienced backup goaltender,Staples suggests New York Rangers goalie Annti Raanta or Colorado Avalanche backup Calvin Pickard are “decent bets.”
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Of those two, Raanta would be the most affordable. He’s a UFA this summer while Pickard’s a restricted free agent with arbitration rights. It’ll only cost the Oilers cash for Raanta on an affordable one or two-year deal. Pickard could cost the same amount, but they’d also have to give up an asset (draft pick or prospect) to pry him away from the Avalanche.
Jonathan Willis wonders if UFA defenseman Eric Gryba’s asking price might be too expensive for the Oilers. Comparing Gryba’s performance to that of Boston Bruins blueliner Adam McQuaid, Willis doesn’t believe the Oilers should pony up a comparable deal like McQuaid’s (four years, $2.75 million annually) to keep him.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: If Gryba’s too expensive, there’s plenty of affordable third-pairing options available via the UFA market to replace him.
SPORTSNET 960 (VIA TODAY’S SLAPSHOT): Elliotte Friedman once again wonders if a Dennis Wideman-to-Edmonton deal would make sense. “Edmonton is a team that could use a defenseman. Wideman would get opportunity there. He’s going to have to sign a new contract after next year if he plays well in Edmonton. I think that’ll do very well for him,” said Friedman.
He also noted Oilers general manager Peter Chiarelli acquired Wideman (and also later traded him) during his tenure as Boston Bruins GM. Friedman acknowledged Wideman’s no-movement clause, but suggested he might waive it for an opportunity to play where he’ll succeed.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: There’s several reasons why I don’t believe Wideman-to-Edmonton makes sense. For one, there’s the obvious fact the two arch rivals rarely deal with each other in the trade market. Second, Wideman’s 33 and I expect Chiarelli’s more interested in younger long-term blueline options. He also has an injury history.
Wideman’s is in the final season of his contract and there’s no guarantees he’ll re-sign with the Oilers even if he had a good season with them. He could also prefer to play out his final season with the Flames, who have a decent shot at reaching the playoffs next season if they improve their goaltending, over joining a club seemingly stuck in an endless rebuild.
Toronto and Ottawa made a block-buster deal. If those two can do that, why couldn’t Calgary and Edmonton work out a relatively minor transaction?
Toronto and Ottawa is not the same as Edmonton and Calgary. You would have to look at Toronto and Montreal to get on the same level and then look at how many block-buster deals those two teams have made. Edmonton and Vancouver is on the same level as Toronto and Ottawa.
Also I really do not think the Oilers would want to help the flames out with their cap situation and take a 5+ mil cap hit off of their books. Not to mention that the Chiarelli could get a just as good, younger with a higher upside, and cheaper d-man from teams like Anaheim or Minnesota.
They could also get that kind of D from New Jersey, who needs forward depth and scoring desperately, without dealing within the conference
Would you rather have a hole on left wing or a hole on defense … I would take the hole on left wing. The Oilers haven’t even been .500 with Hall in the line up seems its time to move on.
This was posted in the wrong spot …^^
The Edmonton/Calgary rivalry isn’t what people think it is. Edmonton has been god awful for 10 years and Calgary the last 6. They haven’t played meaningful games in 20+ years.
I would say at this point based on recent history the Flames are bigger rivals with Vancouver and Edmonton’s rival based on recent history would maybe be the Stars.
The same can be said about the Canadians and the leafs. The standings don’t matter when it comes to the fans. the two teams don’t like each other, always have and most likely always will. Especially now that the two teams are in the same situation as they are both near the bottom of the standings and on their way up. Why one GM would want to help the other out at this point I just don’t see.
“There’s several reasons why I don’t believe Wideman-to-Edmonton makes sense”
How about that Dennis Wideman sucks? I was never overly upset when they traded him from the Bruins… I felt he failed to show up most nights and he absolutely has an injury history and not being able to stay healthy. He’s 33, and would be a bottom pairing defenseman on at least half of the teams in the league if not all… he’s making $5.25m per. The Oilers would be foolish to take the player even if Calgary was giving him away. There’s little if any, trade value in Wideman IMO. If he was making a lot less money then I could see a team using him to round out there #5-6 slot but that’s not the case. He’s being paid as a top 4 defenseman and he’s not that, at least not anymore. McQuaid, Chara, Seidenberg, Miller, Krug… they all have more value than Wideman IMO and I would start all of those players over him in a second.
LOL! Agreed! and theLysiak factor.
That explains it to a “T” – as I said, a relatively minor deal. We are not talking a personality on the level of Phaneuf here!
Wideman may not be as good as he was but he doesn’t suck. He’d be up there in the depth charts on the Oilers defense. Still an NHL player
Edmonton could get good solid D from the Devils as well. NJ has a wealth of young Defensemen and are in dire need of forwards and scoring punch. I honestly believe there is a marriage to be made between the teams based on each other’s haves and needs, and they can both address those needs without dealing within their respective conferences
I agree Dino, the oilers defence has been awful for a while now, its become clear that adding skilled forward after skilled forward, is not doing anything for the team. Would trading Hall create a hole on LW? Sure it would, but if the Oilers could pick up a dman of the caliber mentioned above (Karlsson, Subban etc.) they should do it in a heartbeat. The Oilers added the best prospect since Crosby, he was tremendous, still bottom of the league, no improvement to be seen. Id say its a lot harder to find top pairing dmen then it is to find scoring wingers, also with the talent they have at centre it should more then make up for Halls lost offense. Look at it like this, Oilers trade Hall to Montreal for Subban and draft Laine with their most likely top 3 pick in the draft this year, and suddenly that left side isn’t so barren anymore, and they actually have a top defenceman, that they haven’t had since Chris Pronger.
mike I agree with you that top calibre dmen are hard to find, with that being said don’t you think montreal would want more than just hall in return? I don’t know what that would be but I think mtl losing pk would hurt more than the oilers losing hall! I don’t think the habs move subban unless a big overpayment in return
Well Edmonton won’t get a top calibre defensemen like Subban, Ekman-Larsson or Karlsson for Hall. Teams won’t give em up. Therefore Edmonton should not trade Hall as they should only want a top teir D. They can trade RNH who plays a position that the Oilers have plenty of players to play for a D man. Perhaps only a top 3 or 4 guy but it would make more sense than to move hall for a D you can’t get. Hall isn’t going anywhere’s. Lyle is right as he has said over and over the logical and most likely guy to be moved is RNH. Perhaps in some sort of package.
I don’t see Edm moving Hall.
There is a decent UFA D market this summer. I think Chiarelli will pluck at least 1 D off the UFA market & 1 in trade. As I mentioned the other day Goligoski would make a great addition. Solid 2 way Dman that might be willing to sign in Edmonton. Although a ton of teams will be buying UFA Dman so very competitive market, which favors the players choice of destination.
RNH is the most logical player to trade but his contract & the needs of teams that have a Dman to move may not need a C that’s locked up at 6 mil for 5 more years. Anaheim; Getzlaf, Kesler, Rackell, & Minny; Koivu, Granlund, Coyle, Huala, both have a Dman they could move but neither really need a C. Both could use a RW though & if Eberle were on the table I think he would garner a better return than RNH.
Columbus is in a terrible position come expansion time. They have to many forwards & Dman that need to be protected & could potentially use a C. Saad, Dubinsky, Hartnell, Foligno, Atkinson, Wennberg & Jenner all keepers at forward & Johnson, Savard, Murray & Jones at D. That’s 1 to many D if they use the 7F, 3D & 1 G option.
Hartnell has been rumored to be on the move all year. Might a Hartnell & Johnson trade to Edm be a possibility? Johnson is a train wreck defensively but can run a power play. Edm would still need to bring in a solid defensive Dman. Hartnell would be a great addition at LW in Edm.
I HATE coaches challenge. the end.
🙂
lol
It’s what they can challenge for I hate. Those offsides they called that took back goals are ridiculous. Common sense should prevail at some point. The spirit of what an offside is and why the rule is in should be honoured. It prevents “Cherry Pickers” It is not ment to do what we have seen it do these last couple of games.
IMHO there might not be a single rule change that have impacted the game more negatively than this change in recent years. Disallowed goals for little reason, interrupted flow of the game, delays for up to 10 mins…and they don’t even get it right… A lot of the overturned goals regarding offsides and goalie interference have never been rulings we’ve had historically. Huberdeaus offside? If it’s not clear cut whether his both skates were both over the line before the whole puck, prior ruling should stand. A goal waived off for brushing the goalie ever so slightly? So now the area where 75% of the goals are scored are like 2 feet squared in size, in front of the goal? Ridiculous.
RNH would be the guy to go to NJ. He fits their style. If Oilers would go for Gardner from the Leafs for Driasital that would be something the Leafs should do but I think there would also have to be a pick or prospect added? Last Leafs trade with Habs was Grabovski for Pateryn. Turned out good for the Leafs.
why on earth would the oilers want gardiner?? if the leafs wanted driasital pretty sure you would have to start with rielly! lol
Some just live in a permanent dream-world I guess. If Chiarelli ever made that cockamamy deal they’d be measuring him for a rope in Edmonton.
Gardiner for Draisaitl? Are you for real? The Leafs better add a lot more to that package my friend.
Maybe the Oilers should just keep on drafting high end offensive guys and ignoring the rest of the “team”..every year they can introduce the next great young phenom and sell a bunch of tickets, and every April they can look forward to another high draft choice.
(Yes, I am being sarcastic. A team that hoards top 3 young forwards and tries to fill out a roster with them and little else only hurts their development and watches the player trade value drop. I can’t imagine any sane GM giving up a first round pick for Yakupov these days, and many would likely cringe at the thought of dealing away a second rounder straight-up.)
I think it’s time the Oilers traded back in the draft. Pick up something and instead of drafting 1rst, 2nd or 3rd. Move back to 10th, 11th, 12th for example and draft D.
If I’m Peter I try everything in my power to sign Lucic and I trade one of my 6 million dollar men for a D-man. Milan is exactly what the Oil need big strong and a leader who hates to lose. He becomes the Captain and gives Connor a chance to develop.
Ummm, there is no reason I can see as to why McDavid shouldn’t be labeled captain next year. The Ice and Locker room is already his.
Dunno about the locker room being his yet.
totally agree obe lucic makes a lot of sense for edm! eberle or rnh needs to be moved for a dman
Colorado named Landeskog captain and he said himself he was way to young. McDavid is awesome and will be a superstar but why put unnecessarily pressure on him he already has more than he needs. Sign Looch name him the Captain and trade one of your band aids for D help.
Hey spec just wondering if you could possibly program in a search bar into your website? So people can look for their teams rumours and stuff?