The Edmonton Oilers are still in the early stages of their season. This means that a lot of younger players are still being evaluated against the team’s needs. With that said, the rumour mill never stops.
Let’s take a closer look at the rumblings in this week’s rumour roundup.
Still seeking a depth forward
There are reports that the Oilers are seeking to convert their depth at defence into some extra help up front. The team is dealing with a lot of key injuries to forwards, which does not help. It seems that Jason Dickson is returning, which should at least help stabilize things.
The obvious candidate to be moved is Spencer Stastney. Outside of being a left shot, Shakir Mukhamadullin is younger and more physically imposing. Ty Emberson’s right shot might make him more valuable in a trade, but the Oilers should be more focused on building a strong team as opposed to winning a depth trade.
There are rumours that the Boston Bruins are interested, and the recently waived Michael Eyssimont might fit the bill. Eyssimont plays a lot bigger than he is, bringing an edge of physicality, and has authored some strong advanced stats at points during his career. Having cleared waivers, Eyssimont would be able to stay in the AHL until absolutely needed, allowing more roster flexibility.
Some believe the Oilers are targeting a centre. The Bruins have Matthew Poitras, whose career has stalled amidst injuries. Kirby Dach of the Montreal Canadiens might fit the bill as well. These players would likely require more trade cost than Stastney alone. The emergence of Owen Michaels might completely change the equation here as well. Michaels seems poised to stick in the NHL, if not to push Dickinson for minutes outright.
Is goaltending still a concern?
Speaking of the Canadiens, there remains rumours around Samuel Montembeault. With Jakub Dobes as the starter and Jacob Fowler as a blue chip prospect, Montembeault is clearly the odd man out.
Especially given the amount of goals conceded in their first two games, goaltending remains a topic of concern across Oil Country. While Montembeault could help, he is far from a sure fire upgrade over Tristan Jarry and Devon Levi. It is great news that Levi held the fort down in his second start of the season.
As long as the goaltending struggles it will remain a topic of concern. If Levi can keep up a strong level of play it could silence the issue as a whole. Until then, expect the Oilers to be mentioned in any conversations surrounding goalies.
Blue Jackets wingers up for grabs
The Columbus Blue Jackets are eagerly reshaping their team. While the Oilers missed out on Kirill Marchenko, there still might be opportunities to trade for. In particular, Dimitri Voronkov and Kent Johnson are rumoured to be trade targets around the league.
Voronkov is a big, heavy winger with some net front offence, but is also a slower skater. Johnson is extremely skilled, but that has yet to translate to consistent performance. Neither seems particularly coded to the Oilers current tastes, but still bring enough to the ice to improve the Oilers. More than anything, the Blues Jackets are a roster worth keeping an eye on, as there might be plenty more players the team is willing to trade.
RFA defencemen still available
Two high profile RFA defencemen remain unsigned. Alexander Nikishin of the Carolina Hurricanes and Simon Edvinsson of the Detroit Red Wings. Both are young, ascending left shots who would improve any blueline across the league. Their contract stalemates make them available to an extent, but the cost will not be cheap.
It is unlikely the Oilers can afford to trade for either, let alone their contract demands. There is not much appetite to upgrade the Oilers blueline at this point, either. Nikishin and Edvinsson are good enough that their situations are worth monitoring, though.
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