Oilers “aggressively” shopping 10th overall

Buckle up, Oil Country. It’s going to be a wild ride today. According to Ryan Rishaug, the Oilers are aggressively shopping the 10th overall pick in tonight’s draft for immediate help on the blueline.

We’ve heard quite a few names attached to rumours in regards to the Oilers improving their blueline. There’s been Buffalo’s righty, power play specialist Rasmus Ristolainen, Boston’s offensive dynamo Torey Krug, Carolina’s multidimensional Justin Faulk, and more. Beyond that, Erik Karlsson is going to be dealt out of Ottawa and the Blues are apparently taking calls on Colton Parayko. There are a lot of interesting defencemen in play, but, as we know, none of them are going to come cheap.

Chiarelli is in a difficult position. After a miserable 2017-18 campaign, he’s desperate to get immediate help for the team’s roster so the Oilers can have a rebound season. The organization has been patient with Chiarelli and his long-term plan, but you have to think he’s on the hot seat and that another year missing the playoffs would cost him his job. That’s what makes this situation difficult. Other general managers around the league know Chiarelli is working from a point of desperation, so they obviously aren’t going to be doing him any favours.

The last time Chiarelli used draft picks in a trade to help the blueline, he dealt a first- and second-rounder to the Islanders in exchange for Griffin Reinhart. Obviously that was a disaster from moment one, so hopefully Chiarelli has learned from the mistake.

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