The Connor McDavid Effect has yet to fully transform Edmonton’s image in the eyes of his potential future teammates.
For the second straight season, the Edmonton Oilers have topped a poll measuring which of the NHL’s 30 franchises pop up most frequently on players’ no-trade lists.
Which is a nice way of saying, “Here are the teams we don’t want to play for.”
ESPN.com’s Craig Custance, who debuted this smart exercise last year, asked 10 player agents to submit their top three most frequent no-trade teams.
The top two spots went unchanged from the 2015 poll and appeared on nearly every list: the Oilers and the Winnipeg Jets.
Interestingly, the New York Islanders replaced the Buffalo Sabres in third place, perhaps reflective of the decreased attendance and quiet player grumbling since the move to Brooklyn. Buffalo’s appeal has risen in the Eichel-Bylsma Era, receiving just one vote.
The Isles were the only playoff-bound team named in the poll, which points to clubs that fall in at least one of the following categories: poor attendance, shaky ownership situation, based in Canada, or not a Stanley Cup contender.
The Toronto Maple Leafs, New Jersey Devils, Calgary Flames, Arizona Coyotes, Carolina Hurricanes and Montreal Canadiens also received votes.
The new-lease Florida Panthers, resurgent on the ice and at the gate (attendance is up by nearly 4,000 fans per game), did not receive a single vote this year.
“A few years ago, guys were less inclined to want to go to Florida than they are now,” one of the agents told Custance.
“I think Florida was a place of concern,” said another, “but the guys seem to be more and more comfortable with the direction they are going.”
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