Daily Faceoff’s Jeff Marek believes the Edmonton Oilers have yet to make a trade to improve the team because the asking prices for trades are too high for the type of pieces they want to add.
During an appearance on Oilersnation Everyday, Marek was asked about where things stand for the Oilers and if they have an imminent trade up their sleeves. He feels that while GM Stan Bowman could pull the trigger on a deal right now, he would have to be comfortable with surrendering a lot more assets than at the trade deadline.
“Teams are willing to make a deal, but only if they get more value than they’re worth at the time,” he said. “Edmonton can make a deal for a defenceman right now, but the team that’s selling will want more in return than what the acquiring team would want because essentially what they want to do is create a marketplace around the trade deadline. I think right now, all things being equal, unless there is a total collapse, they’re by the Edmonton Oilers they’re not going to make their moves until the deadline.”
He added that the team is likely waiting to see how the team does around January which is typically when they start to find their groove and get rolling. After all, last season saw them start to drastically improve right around New Year’s which coincided with their 16-game win streak and Stuart Skinner playing like one of the best goalies in the world.
Indeed, NHL teams are usually hesitant to make a big splash well before the trade deadline because prices for players typically go down closer to the day and the divide between the contenders and pretenders is firmly established. While things have not started off swingingly for the Oilers this season relative to the expectations placed on the team at the beginning, they are squarely in the hunt for the playoffs and only sit four points behind the Calgary Flames for second in the Pacific Division. Unless things go completely off the rails for Edmonton in that sweet spot that Marek highlighted, the team is likely not going to make the move for that defenceman for a while.
But when the time does come to make that trade come to fruition, there will be no shortage of teams the Oilers will be inquiring with. When Marek was asked which team would be an ideal candidate for Edmonton to make a deal with, he set his eyes on the Buffalo Sabres.
“Everything’s on the line in that organization. It’s not exactly a secret,” he said “The players feel that, the players know it, behind closed doors the players talk about it. Everybody knows what is at stake with the Buffalo Sabres. Dylan Cozens has had a really rough season. Jack Quinn has had a rough start as well. You guys were mentioning Bowen Byram, and he may just end up killing them in arbitration if he’s still with the Sabres and it gets there. The name Owen Power has been whispered out there as well.”
At the time of filing, the Sabres currently sit one point outside of a playoff spot though they were not far removed from being in third place in the Atlantic Division. This is a team that is desperate to end the 13-year playoff drought and there is certainly pressure to either get over the line or make some sweeping changes. There is some instability in the top half of their division and are perhaps the best-positioned team to surpass one of the regulars but they have also been a squad that is prone to lengthy losing streaks.
All of which is to say that they could end up being an active seller at the deadline should they fall further down the standings. The names listed in Cozens, Quinn, Byram, and Power are certainly intriguing options for the Oilers to consider especially the latter two given their defensive shortcomings. The one area that Buffalo has done well in is with their defensive core and there is a clear excess at the position so they may feel comfortable dealing away one of their blueliners to address needs up front.
The Sabres also have a recent trade history with the Oilers as the two teams made a deal this offseason swapping Matt Savoie for Ryan McLeod and Ty Tullio. GMs have a habit of trading with someone they are familiar with and Bowman seems to have a good rep with Kevyn Adams so the two linking up again later this season would make a lot of sense.
While the news that the Oilers are hesitant to make a trade right now may be discouraging for fans to hear given where things stand for the team on the back end, the reality is that NHL squads are historically more prone to wait until the deadline to make moves (unless you are the Vancouver Canucks). It’s not that they don’t want to make a trade period, but more so due to the fear of getting fleeced when prices will eventually subside as the months progress. This means the Edmonton faithful will need to exercise patience and let the season run its course before this long-awaited move finally comes to fruition.
You can watch the full interview and the entire episode down below:
