Blue Jackets and Oilers Could be Obvious Trade Partners
By Curtis Deem
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.