The Oilers have actively tried to move Zack Kassian, a buyout is still an option
By Cam Lewis
1 year agoWhile much of the focus has been on Jesse Puljujarvi, the Oilers have another winger whose been involved in trade talks as of late.
Frank Seravalli mentioned Zack Kassian in the pre-draft edition of Trade Targets at Daily Faceoff and said that the Oilers have been actively trying to dump his contract…
31. Zack Kassian
Right Wing, Edmonton Oilers
Age: 31
Stats: 58 GP, 6 G, 13 A, 19 Pts
Contract: 2 more seasons, $3.2 million AAV
Scoop: The Oilers have been active in engaging in conversation with teams about trying to move Kassian and his contract. The results haven’t been pretty; most are asking for the Oilers to also take a similar undesired contract in return – or to sweeten the deal with an asset (draft capital) that the Oilers really don’t have to give. It’s believed Ottawa was one of the teams interested, though it sounds like that has quieted down. The Oilers may ultimately have no other choice but to buy out Kassian, one of our 10 buyout candidates, before the window closes on July 12 – but that is viewed as a last resort.
Unsurprisingly, trying to trade Kassian has been unsuccessful, as he scored just six goals last season and is signed for two more seasons at $3.2 million. As Seravalli notes, if the Oilers are going to move Kassian, they’ll either have to take on a similarly bad contract, like the Milan Lucic for James Neal swap, or they’re going to have to attach a draft pick as a sweetener.
The interesting note here is that the Oilers haven’t ruled out the possibility of a buyout. The buyout window opened on July 1 and the only player who has been bought out since is Colin White of the Ottawa Senators. The buyout window closes on July 12, the day before free agency opens, so if a deal isn’t made, we could see Ken Holland opt to use a buyout on Kassian to give himself more financial flexibility.
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