Blue Jackets and Oilers Could be Obvious Trade Partners
As the season rolls on, the Blue Jackets continue to have an abundance of defensemen. They’re also about to have a minor goaltending controversy. The Edmonton Oilers could be obvious trade partners – they need help in both of those areas.
In his latest 32 Thoughts blog, Elliotte Friedman mentions that the Oilers would like to address their issues in goal, as well as on defense. They might be looking to swing one deal to fix multiple issues on their roster as they look to cement themselves as contenders this season; and the Jackets have pieces that could theoretically help them out.
We will see where this goes, including if the Oilers look at one major trade to deal with multiples issues. For example, a goalie and a defenceman. Or, a goalie and a depth forward with some edge.
With the above quote in mind, it’s easy to see where the Jackets could be in play here. It’s not even out of the question that the Jackets could throw in a gritty depth forward as well. It’s no secret that they’re needing to offload a blue liner, and with Daniil Tarasov nearing his return from the IR, they’ll have three goaltenders on the NHL roster. They’re still trying to pull themselves out of a rebuild, and with a lot of guys signed to contracts that won’t break the bank, they could be in a position to swing a deal to add more futures.
It’s worth noting that the Oilers are pushed right up against the league’s salary cap, so any deals would have to include money heading back in our direction as well. But, where there’s a will, there’s a way – and Edmonton might be desperate enough to overpay their way out of the hole here.
Now, with all of this in mind, if you think I’m about to bring up Connor McDavid, or Leon Draisaitl, or even Ryan Nugent-Hopkins … you’re dreaming. The whole point for the Oilers here is building a Cup team with those guys, while they’re still in their primes … so that isn’t happening. More likely, I think the Jackets would be bringing back different depth pieces to help offset the money, and trying to pluck away high draft picks or prospects.
Let’s assume the two teams are talking trades. Who would the Oilers be after?
I can see the Oilers having interest in either Spencer Martin or Daniil Tarasov, depending on what their preferred solution in goal is. Martin has been eye opening for the Jackets so far this season – after being claimed off of waivers just prior to the season opener, he’s posted a 1-2-1 record, with a .928% save percentage. If he kept up that level of play in Edmonton, even for just this year, their season could be well on the mend.
Spencer Martin says no TWO TIMES 🛑 pic.twitter.com/GycE1xq5jb
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) October 6, 2023
But the Oilers may not see him as the longer-term solution in goal. They could have more interest in Tarasov, who has shown the penchant for being a great goaltender at every level he’s played – but has not been able to remain healthy. It’s possible that they might want to take a swing for the fences here and land a promising future starter.
From the blue line, the Jackets need to move one of Andrew Peeke or Adam Boqvist. Now, I don’t see the Oilers having a ton of interest in a puck-mover like Boqvist. They already have Evan Bouchard, who is quickly becoming one of the best right-hand shooting offensive defensemen in the NHL. He quarterbacks their already outstanding power-play, and will eat up the bulk of the offensive minutes for them.
But when it comes to Peeke, why wouldn’t the Oilers have interest? He’s big, blocks a lot of shots, and could fit right into their bottom-four. He’s also signed at a reasonable cap hit, holding a $2.75m AAV for this season, and two more afterwards. He could be exactly the kind of rugged shot-blocking machine that helps the Oilers improve upon their tendency to give up high danger chances against.
The Jackets do have some edge in their bottom six, as well. With the emergence of Dmitri Voronkov, is it possible that a guy like Mathieu Olivier could be made available? Voronkov brings a lot of the same toughness, but has slid into the middle-six forward group because of his skill as well. I think the Jackets might want more of a return than the Oilers are willing to offer up for a player like that, however. They like Olivier – so it’s hard to see that happening.
What a trade might look like:
If you can pry away a first and third round pick for Andrew Peeke and Spencer Martin, you’re doing pretty well if you’re the Jackets. It will cost them some salary retention for the next three seasons, but it’s minimal – and the cap is going to go way up. Calvin Pickard is nothing to sneeze at either, he could be the perfect guy to bounce between Columbus and Cleveland on an as-needed basis.
The first round pick in this deal would have to be protected, I would say at the very least top-10. If that were the case, the Jackets would receive an unprotected 2026 first rounder in its place. This is the cost of doing business for Edmonton, who needs to do something to try and win now. Martin may not be their ideal netminder, but he’s inexpensive, and has shown that he can steal games over stretches of time. This might buy them enough time to have Stuart Skinner, or even Jack Campbell, put their games back together and give them the depth they need at that position.
Obviously, I’m no insider, so this is all just fun speculation. But it certainly does feel like the Jackets could do well in dealing with a desperate team like the Edmonton Oilers.
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