GREGOR: Ken Holland made it very clear he’s looking for difference-makers. To me, there’s two obvious answers in Edmonton. It’s a second-pair left defender and second-line left-winger to play with @Leon Draisaitl if @Ryan Nugent-Hopkins stays with @Connor McDavid. Those are the two spots. You look at guys who are left-wingers and I don’t see a lot who are UFAs.

SERAVALLI: That’s the thing, I believe that they’re not interested in the rental market. It would probably have to be a hockey deal that makes sense given that they don’t have the draft picks to be involved in the rental market. They probably have to trade a prospect in order to get someone that they’re looking for. Then the next question is how deep into your prospect pool do you want to dive? By the way, Bakersfield has looked really good and the numbers there have been really good from their players.

It’s an interesting scenario that the Oilers are in because I just don’t know this this year makes sense to dive in and do it. You want to sell to McDavid and Draisaitl and your fans that you’re a team that wants to win and you’re in the mix and that you have faith in your group. But at the same time, you have to remember that there’s a bigger picture involved here. I think that’s what Ken Holland has managed really well. Next year, I think, is the year that the Oilers are really in that position to go do something.

GREGOR: I look at their prospects and the guys they don’t want to trade are @Evan Bouchard, @Philip Broberg, @Dmitri Samorukov, @Ryan McLeod, obviously @Dylan Holloway, those would be the main ones. The thing about Bakersfield is that they only have one defenceman who is under contract on an NHL deal, which is Markus Niemelainen and I don’t think he’s that close to playing in the NHL. @Cooper Marody and @Tyler Benson have unreal numbers in the AHL but I’m not sure if they have NHL footspeed other than to be fourth-liners right now.

SERAVALLI: I wanted to make a point about some of the AHL numbers this year. A lot of people are looking at the AHL differently this year because of the Taxi Squads. Some of these numbers might be inflated, particularily for guys who have experience playing in the AHL previously. It’s a little bit of an easier league, more of a prospect league, and these guys who are so-called hardened pros who have been in the league for a little while are finding some more success more easily. Maybe some of those numbers are inflated, but either way, I’m not sure I was expecting that kind of production from Cooper Marody or Tyler Benson. I’m looking at Stuart Skinner too and I’m thinking, ‘huh, what does that mean for the Oilers moving forward?’