This morning Cult of Hockey writer Kurt Leavins has been sending out some very Stauffer-like tweets and it has me thinking a bit… Are the Oilers about to send Cam Talbot to the reigning Stanley Cup champs for an RFA on an expiring contract?
The #Oilers NHL roster would only be at 21 by game time tonight, without another transaction or even two. And that’s with Petrovic being activated. Stay tuned…
— Kurt Leavins (@KurtLeavins) January 22, 2019
This definitely has me intrigued and I asked one of my sources about this and was told,
I think the Oilers are going to find a way to get Spooner’s money off the books here. We’ll see.
Would that be most excellent? If that move does go down, I wonder what Edmonton would have to include with Spooner to move him? Or conversely, take back.
Do you suppose Washington would be looking to upgrade their back-up goalie situation? And if so, do you suppose they would move an expiring RFA winger in order to do so?
— Kurt Leavins (@KurtLeavins) January 22, 2019
If Chiarelli and his crew could manage to procure Andre Burakovsky from the Capitals for Cam Talbot, would that undo some of the hate and vitriol that’s still being sent his way this morning?
Connor McDavid’s old junior linemate in Erie is not having a good year under new coach Todd Richards. He’s definitely a buy-low candidate and he currently resides at number 35 on the TSN Trade Board.
What if it’s not Burakovsky though and it’s Dmitrij Jaskin? Both players are on expiring deals and are RFAs at season’s end.
Jaskin was a waiver pick-up, so I don’t see a lot going on there to be honest. He couldn’t make it in St. Louis and as far as I can tell, he’s not making a massive difference in Washington either.
But there’s one more extreme long shot… Jakub Vrana…
Personally, I can’t see the Oilers being able to procure this guy’s talents without sending some serious assets back the Capitals’ way, but he’s pretty much exactly what they’re looking for in a forward. He’s one of the fastest players in the league and he loves to shoot. He’s also trending towards 3o goals…
Vrana (LW) – 48gp 15g 11a 26pts
Jaskin (LW) – 29gp 1g 6a 7pts
Burakovsky (RW) – 42gp 5g 6a 11pts
According to Pierre LeBrun, there’s one other thing that is making teams shy away from Burakovsky though,
For a player trying to find his game, it’s a little rich that he’s making $3.25 million in cash and his AAV is $3 million. Furthermore, Burakovsky’s qualifying offer would be $3.25 million
The Caps have a fella named Phoenix Copley tending back=up for them right now but I’d have to say, that Talbot is an upgrade on him and you can be damned sure that Washington isn’t taking any chances with Holtby’s latest eye injury.
Lastly, I had to get in touch with another source to see what was being sent down the grapevine,
I don’t foresee a major trade coming at this time. It would be something minor. I’d be shocked if a major trade happens.
So, we’ll see what happens here but the fact of the matter is, this team has to sort this out by themselves and get on the same page. No massive trade is going to magically turn this team around. With all due respect to the players I’m about to name, picking up Colton Parayko, Tyler Toffoli, or Michael Ferland will not all of a sudden spark a 15-game winning streak.
Connor McDavid hasn’t had the best couple of games recently and he also needs to get back to being the best McDavid he can be.
The team needs to get back to playing like a team and Hitchcock hockey. Bear down, dig deep and play defense-first, counter-attack hockey.
This season is FAR from lost. The Oilers are still right there in the race and you’d think that they’ve just been eliminated from the playoffs. How many times can you say the Oilers were playing meaningful hockey games into February in the last 15 years?
Step away from the ledge… There’s plenty to be optimistic about here. Klefbom’s return is right around the corner and then we’ll be able to see what this team can really do when players are slotted where they’re supposed to be.
Well, see which deals Ken Hitchcock gives the green light to in the next couple of weeks here too. They’re on the hunt for a winger or two. Coaches usually have some input on roster moves but Hitch is right in the thick of things here in Edmonton I’m told.
What do you think? Do you have interest in any of those young wingers out of Washington? Leave your comments below!
