In trading Jesse Puljujarvi to Carolina Tuesday, the Edmonton Oilers opened up a couple million dollars in salary cap space to use ahead of Friday's trade deadline.
With all of the biggest trades sending talent into the Eastern Conference, we're all left to wonder which Western Conference team -- if any -- will step up. Just six points separate the top team in the conference from the holder of the second wild card.
With Edmonton positioning itself to buy, could Ken Holland be the GM who steps up to make an impact deal?
"I think he sees the same thing a few other teams see: there's a lot of defencemen out there," Elliotte Friedman said on The Jeff Marek Show Tuesday. "There's a lot of different options, some with term, some without. And he's looking for the best deal he can get. Best player-combination-best deal. And I think he's playing all these teams off against each other and try to see who sweats."
It's no secret Edmonton's top priority at the deadline is for a defenceman, and Holland confirmed as much when he spoke to the media after the Puljujarvi move. The Oilers were connected in rumours to Erik Karlsson in past weeks, but that seems an unlikely deal now. Karlsson told Sportsnet's Eric Engels Monday that he hasn't been asked to waive his no-movement clause yet, and doesn't expect to by Friday.
The Canadiens' Joel Edmundson was another connection to the Oilers, but a lingering back injury complicates his fit, even if he has an extra year under contract.
The Oilers will do something by Friday, and that's almost a guarantee. It's just a matter if they go for depth, or try to make one of the biggest deadline additions in the conference.
"Edmonton took a run at Patrick Kane. Edmonton took a run at Erik Karlsson. It should be no surprise to anybody that they're looking at (Jakob) Chychrun, looking at (Mattias) Ekholm, looking at everyone who's out there," Friedman said. "But I think the one thing you have to look at is what is the likelihood of all these things? I'm just not sure yet what the likelihood is of Chychrun and Ekholm. I think they're very complicated deals for the team to do."
Though the Oilers opened up cap space in the Puljujarvi trade, it won't be a huge amount because Holland's desire is to have at least a 21-man roster -- the Oilers are currently at 20 to make the money work.
And while Edmonton comes out of LTIR next season, it already has $71.5 million committed to a 14-player roster. You may be able to figure out future issues at a later date, but there's a reason Holland says his team is "money in, money out."
And then there's the question on which assets it would cost the Oilers to acquire a Chychrun or Ekholm.
"The thing about Chychrun is I get the sense, when you look at some of the returns we've seen this week for players like (Tanner) Jeannot, it's emboldened Arizona to say, 'Our ask is right'," Friedman said. The Lightning paid five draft picks, including a first-rounder, for the depth-liner Jeannot, an off-season RFA. Chychrun or Ekholm would reasonably cost a notable amount more.
"I don't know if I see Edmonton paying that price."
WHAT ARE THE FLAMES GOING TO DO?
Meanwhile, as the Oilers get ready to buy, the Calgary Flames are the most confusing team around. While most people believe they are better than their record shows this season, the fact is the Flames are 3-4-3 in their past 10 and sit four points out of the playoffs. Their points percentage is lower than 10th-place Nashville, at the moment.
The Flames were forced into a tough spot last summer with Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk working their way out of town, but GM Brad Treliving was universally praised for how he navigated the turbulence, and seemed to land with a contender intact.
Now we wonder ... could they actually sell by Friday?
If the player with "one more year left on his contract" is the new "rental," then the Flames could be well-positioned to acquire assets. Mikael Backlund, Elias Lindholm, Tyler Toffoli, Noah Hanifin, Chris Tanev and Nikita Zadorov will all be UFAs after next season.
Before the puck dropped on this season -- and maybe even just a month ago -- we wouldn't have imagined a scenario where the Flames would entertain a trade scenario with those types of players. Now, as we see the trade market unfold, we wonder if Treliving might have to change course.
"They have a lot of good players with one year left on their deals and that's a good place to be in. It's not ridiculous term, they're all good players, and teams like that idea of getting you not just for one playoff, but for two," Friedman said. "I think he's weighing things. And I think, especially over the past couple of days, he's been weighing things like that. I think it's realistic that they at least really go down the road, or think about something they wouldn't have contemplated at the beginning of the season."
Treliving is not a shy trader. Tuesday's home game against Boston, and Thursday's against Toronto, may loom large for Calgary.
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