Blue Jackets and Oilers Could be Obvious Trade Partners

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.

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.