Edmonton Oilers Trade Talk: Kane, Kubalik, and the Latest Oilers Rumblings

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The Athletic

Trading for Evander Kane? Mailbag

What is a realistic outlook for the Bison King’s next contract?

There are three comparables that jump out to me — 2016 draft peers Pierre-Luc Dubois and Matthew Tkachuk, as well as countryman and fellow Lehto client Teuvo Teravainen.
Dubois and Tkachuk are also pending RFAs and have $5 million and $7 million cap hits, respectively.
Teravainen signed a five-year, $5.4 million AAV deal in 2019.

What do you think the odds are that Dylan Holloway plays meaningful games with the Oilers this year?

Asking Holloway to be a top-six or even top-nine contributor on a potential contending team is a big ask right now. We’ll have a better idea if it’s possible by early or mid-March.

Are the Oilers considering a trade for Evander Kane at all?

I asked around. The response I got back was “no chance.” There might have even been an expletive or two thrown in there just to be emphatic.
Phil Kessel and Joe Pavelski could be trade targets…

What goalies could the Oilers trade for and what would it cost?

Marc-Andre Fleury, Braden Holtby, and James Reimer stand out to me.

Do you think that a Tyson Barrie trade (in the offseason, presumably) would require the Oilers to send assets with him, or does he have enough trade value on his own?

I’m not so sure the Oilers will trade him. They committed a three-year contract to him in the offseason, there is little righthanded blue-line depth in the organization, and quality righty defencemen are some of the hardest players to acquire.

When Mike Smith is reactivated, what are the chances of the Oilers putting Mikko Koskinen on waivers and keeping Stuart Skinner in the NHL as backup?

Though I agree with the premise of your question that Skinner has outplayed Koskinen, the sample size is small. Skinner is also waivers exempt. If the Oilers want to trade Koskinen before the deadline, having him in the AHL plummets what little trade value he has.

BLH’s Thoughts: Depending on how the Oilers do in the playoffs, that will determine the future of Tyson Barrie.

As for Evander Kane, if you judge him from what we’ve been shown on social media, he’s not a good dude, but he can play the game very well and we shouldn’t pretend like we know the whole story with his life, should we?

The Oilers do need to pick a lane at some point here though. Are they going for a Stanley Cup or not? Because Kane would be an impact player from the get-go.

I said to one prominent member of OEG that if McDavid is Michael Jordan and Leon is Scottie Pippen, then why couldn’t Evander Kane be Dennis Rodman? The comp flew right over the guy’s head, but what I was trying to say was if the Chicago Bulls locker room could handle Dennis Rodman for a few years, why can’t the Oilers dressing room handle Evander Kane? How much trouble could the guy get into in Edmonton and his skillset would flourish madly with the Oilers and isn’t he just the kind of reclamation project Glen Sather would be happy to bring in back in the day?

I mean, are we going to let Carolina and Vegas grab every troubled player and continue to get better because they’re willing to take that chance?

I’m just wondering, are the Oilers in this to win or are they going to try and win while tip-toeing around their fanbase? Because they list of things Oilers fans will bitch and moan about is never ending. So, why not go for gold for once? Why not take the opportunity to rehab a player instead of treating him like he’s an anti-vaxxer?

If successful, the Oilers could come out as winners doubly, but there’s some risk they’d have to take and everyone would have to step outside of their comfort zone to get the job done?

I get it, it appears like he’s done some really shitty things and I’m not letting him off the hook for them. But at the same time, when the time calls, a guy needs somebody just to take his hand and get him pointed in the right direction. Maybe, just maybe, this young man is ready to make a change in his life because he’s in the process of losing everything…

The Hockey Writers

Oilers Should Have Blackhawks’ Kubalik as a Trade Target

He is a scoring threat and the Blackhawks will be looking to make moves ahead of the 2022 Trade Deadline in order to get what they can from this season if they don’t appear to be in contention.
…we could even see a scenario where both Kubalik and Fleury are traded to the Oilers in the same deal, though I wouldn’t get your hopes too high about that one.
…as an upcoming restricted free agent (RFA), it will add a bit more value because whichever team has him in the organization, they have the exclusive rights to negotiate a new contract.
In just his third season in the NHL, Kubalik is averaging just under 30 goals per season if he were to play a full 82-game schedule.
Kubalik’s ability to stay healthy is an underrated part of what he brings to the team. He could be a very underrated addition before the trade deadline and have a major effect on how the team is structured and performs this season and beyond.

BLH’s Thoughts: I like this shout a lot. Kubalik is a very underrated goal-scorer in the NHL. This is the kind of player you send Yamamoto and a first rounder to get because he’s got a history, he can play both wings, he’s having a down year so that might get the dollars down on his next deal and as a shooting winger, he’d be a fantastic add to Leon Draisaitl’s right wing.

Don’t believe me, check out this highlight package and tell me I’m wrong.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pJ1uqseMC4

The Daily Goal Horn

Five players that would heat up the trade market if made available

Jakob Chychrun. He leads the pack because he’s not a rental. This is a young defenseman with a great contract and years left on it. His deal has three years left on it at just $4.6 million.
(JT) Miller is unlikely to be moved if the Canucks continue winning and climbing up the standings. However, if the Boudreau-bump gives out and he is available at the deadline, Vancouver will get a lot of good pieces.
(Tomas) Hertl, 28, is in the last year of a deal with a $5.625M cap hit. His pending UFA status made him talked about as a trade candidate early in the season. However, the Sharks are in playoff contention and will not move him if they are still in it come March.
MAF is in the final year of a contract that pays $7M and has modified no-trade protection. He had to be convinced not to retire and report to Chicago, so this would be a complex deal with Fleury in complete control. However, imagine Fleury joining Alex Ovechkin in Washington for a Cup run.
(Claude) Giroux, 33, has spent his entire stellar career with the Flyers… This is the final year of a contract that comes with a $8.275M cap hit. He has 25 points in 29 games and would instantly go to the top of the trade rental market