The Edmonton Oilers have a need, and the Calgary Flames might be able to help.
It’s not often we’ve seen the two clubs link up for a deal, the latest being in July 2019 when the Oilers sent Milan Lucic south on the highway, and James Neal headed north.
Other deals include a 2013 trade which sent Ladislav Smid to Calgary with Laurent Brossoit coming back, the 2010 swap of Steve Staois for Aaron Johnson.
And on Wednesday, Daily Faceoff’s Matt Larkin pondered of a potential deal between the two sides: one that would see the rugged Chris Tanev head from the 403, to the 780.
Why he makes sense: General manager Ken Holland’s contract expires after this season. Why not ride or die for a team that is approaching a Cup-or-bust juncture? It would be quite the understatement to call Tanev an upgrade over Cody Ceci in the top four.
What it might cost: The Oilers already gave up a first-rounder and a higher-end prospect (Reid Schaefer) in their trade for Mattias Ekholm last winter. The trade worked out great for Edmonton, though, so maybe Holland isn’t afraid to take a swing again with the 2024 first-rounder. If the Flames want to target a young player looking for a bigger opportunity, would GM Craig Conroy kick the tires on a Philip Broberg or Dylan Holloway?
Fly in the ointment: Even if we set aside the Oilers’ obvious lack of cap space, there’s the Battle of Alberta rivalry factor. Personally, I think the “can’t trade in your division” adage is mostly a myth, but the Oilers and Flames are an exception. They’ve made two trades in the past decade. Their last one came in 2019.
Larkin’s analysis hits the nail on the head. Tanev, 34, would undoubtedly be an upgrade over that of Cody Ceci, and would surely elevate this Oilers club. While yes, injuries have been an issue for Tanev over the course of his career, he’s appeared in 38 of 41 games for the Flames this season, scoring one goal and seven points.
The Flames have historically controlled the pace of play and dominated the goal share with him on the ice, but those numbers have sunk closer to even this year, as the team struggles to stay in the fight.
When it comes to his individual play this year, he’s been excellent. According to hockeyviz.com, he’s contributed offence at a one percent rate above league average, and defence at a staggering 17 percent above league average. It has him contributing at a level well above that of a first-paring defenceman, hockeyviz’s charts display.
Philip Broberg could certainly be in play, but I would doubt the Oilers willingness to send Dylan Holloway out in a deal unless it were for a young, cost-controlled player similar to him.

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CHL trade deadline passes

The Canadian Hockey League’s trade deadline has come and gone, with a number of NHL prospects being moved in deals.
Daily Faceoff’s Colton Davies broke down the moves across the WHL, OHL and OMJHL. The full list of moves is as follows, and more on the deals can be read here.

WHL

Matthew Savoie (BUF): Wenatchee to Moose Jaw
Conor Geekie (ARI): Wenatchee to Swift Current
Fraser Minten (TOR): Kamloops to Saskatoon
Alexander Suzdalev (WSH): Regina to Saskatoon
Gracyn Sawchyn (FLA): Seattle to Edmonton
Sean Tschigerl (ANA): Calgary to Lethbridge
Connor Levis (WPG): Kamloops to Vancouver
Nate Danielson (DET): Brandon to Portland

OHL

Gavin Hayes (CHI): Flint to Soo
Sandis Vilamanis (FLA): Sarnia to North Bay
Konnor Smith (ANA): Peterborough to Owen Sound
Roman Schmidt (TBL): Kitchener to Kingston
Kaleb Lawrence (LAK): Ottawa to London
Owen Beck (MTL): Peterborough to Saginaw
Jorian Donovan (OTT): Brantford to Saginaw
Djbril Toure (OTT): Sudbury to Windsor
Anson Thornton (ARI): Barrie to Niagara
Daniil Sobolev (MTL): Niagara to Brantford
Eduard Sale (SEA): Barrie to Kitchener

QMJHL

Jeremy Langlois (ARI): Quebec to Drummondville
Angus Booth (LAK): Shawinigan to Baie Comeau
Tyler Peddle (CBJ): Drummondville to Saint John
Tristan Luneau (ANA): Gatineau to Victoriaville
Sam Savoie (CHI): Gatineau to Rouyn Noranda
Quentin Miller (MTL): Quebec to Rimouski
Vsevelold Komarov (BUF): Quebec to Drummondville
Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.