The trade speculation and rumours are heating up as the season has reached around the 25-game mark. It seems like some questions may be coming to their answer soon. Perhaps even sooner than we think.
Oilers trying to find a goaltending solution
Ever since last week, the trade chatter in Edmonton has picked up in terms of the goaltending front. The Edmonton Oilers have scouted the Columbus Blue Jackets extensively over the past two weeks. What has been said is they’ve scouted Columbus for the past three games. But after confirming with a few CBJ sources, it appears the Oilers may have scouted them for five games.
What is very curious and intriguing is that the Oilers have had their new goalie scout, Jeff Salajko, scouting Columbus extensively. He is from the Ohio area so he most likely has certain ties to the CBJ organization. Brad Holland, who is also the Assistant General Manager, is also a part of this scouting crew so there is a high level of importance in this trip.
Based off of what Bob Stauffer (host of the radio show Oilers Now and the most plugged in person when it comes to the Edmonton Oilers) and Frank Seravalli (host of the DFO Rundown) have said, it sounds like the Oilers are very interested in starting goaltender Elvis Merzlikins.
What a Merzlikins trade could look like
This should not come as a big surprise because the Oilers were interested in Merzlikins before they got Jack Campbell and, based off the information gained, his agent is very connected with the Oilers and Bob Stauffer.
Merzlikins needs a change of scenery after the unfortunate incident he went through before this season and the Oilers also have know him from before. They have a lot of respect for him. He would be the ideal fit for the team. He has a 3.11 GAA and a .911 save percentage. The question is how is this possible?
I believe that Columbus may be interested in taking on Campbell’s contract because it is very similar to the contract Merzlikins is on. Campbell makes $5M per year and has three more years left. Merzlikins makes $5.4M per year and the same length of time.
Why would they make this trade? Maybe the Oilers would have to add some sweetener with Campbell to make this work? Or could this be a bigger trade than we think?
One other thing to note is Campbell has brought along his goalie coach from the summer, Manny Legace (who also is the Blue Jacket’s old goalie coach).
According to Elliotte Friedman and his 32 Thoughts, it sounds like (if this trade materializes) it could be a bigger trade than we initially thought.
It may include more than just a goaltender. Oilers want some more help in the bottom six and, in my opinion, I think they are looking for another puck mover that could fill the #6 role. I believe, when it comes to making the playoffs, Vincent Desharnais should be playing a more seventh defenceman role. This is why I believe Adam Boqvist is another player that is catching the Oilers eye.
A perfect swap would include Philip Broberg and Adam Boqvist. It hasn’t worked out for either in their organizations and Boqvist is a player the Oilers coveted in his draft year.
The Blue Jackets are not afraid to send players down when they are not NHL ready so I think they would not mind taking on Broberg and playing him in the AHL. He has untapped potential.
We will see what materializes on this front. From the sounds of it, Campbell’s latest game in the AHL did not go so great even though the Bakersfield Condors won 6–4. His save percentage was .878 and he allowed two very questionable goals. But, based off reports from Frank Seravalli and Elliotte Friedman, it sounds like the Oilers are willing to give Campbell one last shot with them. They are expecting a call up this week.
Columbus will have three goalies shortly. Young and upcoming goalie Daniil Tarasov is coming back from injury this week and he is now on LTIR. He will be playing this week in the AHL to find his game. He will be able to play in the AHL until next Sunday at the latest. Therefore, if the Blue Jackets do not want another three-headed goalie tandem on their backend, I think we expect a move around that time.
Other notables around the league
- Nikita Zadorov has now been traded by Calgary to Vancouver. It was a very small deal by them. However, some new news has come that should create some juicy gossip.
- Before Vancouver made this deal, the Toronto Maple Leafs were in deep on acquiring both Nikita Zadorov and Chris Tanev. Brad Treliving has a reputation for making big deals so this should not come as a surprise. Toronto lost out on Zadorov but it seems like they still have interest in Tanev.
- It sounds like the Canucks will also be signing Ethan Bear soon as they still want more defensive depth. He is skating and getting ready to start his season soon.
- Tyson Barrie has also been given permission to talk to other teams, by the Nashville Predators, for a potential trade. It’s pretty clear that Barrie wasn’t a good fit with Nashville and both sides are ready to move on. Only question remaining is where he will get traded? Maybe back to the Oilers? I doubt it to be honest.
- With Sam Montembault signing a three-year deal with Montreal, it sounds like Jake Allen is the odd man out. The Oilers may still be a team that is interested in him.
- Columbus Dispatch has reported that Yegor Chinakhov may ask for a trade outside of Columbus. Columbus is also trying to move Alex Texier as he has not come as expected. That’s another player that is building up value.
Lots of trade talk is now building and it seems like it is more than just smoke.
Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire
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