Let the firesale begin. The Oilers have shipped defenceman Brandon Davidson to the New York Islanders in exchange for a third-round pick in 2019.

This is the second year in a row the Oilers have dealt Davidson around the trade deadline. Last year, they traded him in a one-for-one deal for David Desharnais. He was eventually put on waivers by the Montreal Canadiens in December and the Oilers scooped him back up.

In 23 games with the Oilers this year, Davidson had three goals and one assist but played solid defensive hockey and consistently brought a good effort to the ice. He’ll be a restricted free agent this summer and will be eligible for unrestricted free agency next summer.

In a vacuum, grabbing a guy off waivers and ultimately turning him into a third-round pick is good asset management. But in this particular instance, I think Davidson is more worthwhile to the organization as a depth defender than the mid-round draft pick. Maybe it’s because Davidson, a cancer survivor who seemed genuinely happy to play for the team, is a fan favourite, but I feel like the 26-year-old defenceman was more part of the solution than part of the problem for this team.

Another note, I saw on Twitter that the Oilers made a trade with the Islanders and my heart skipped a beat. After the way Garth Snow has taken Peter Chiarelli to the cleaners with the Reinhart and Eberle deals, I’m surprised Pistol Pete even answers his calls.