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Pre-trade deadline Q&A: Who could the Edmonton Oilers target in a trade?
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Photo credit: Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports
Zach Laing
Feb 3, 2023, 15:00 ESTUpdated: Feb 3, 2023, 14:53 EST
Comments
Welcome back to my annual “one month from the trade deadline” Q&A.
On Wednesday, I polled my followers to see what they would do if they were the Edmonton Oilers. Let’s dive into some responses.
I’m high on Ryan O’Reilly as a trade target should the Blues decide to be a seller. He has everything the Oilers are looking for in a C, but I don’t see this proposal being enough. Puljujarvi is considered to be a project while Yamamoto is exactly what you said he is: injury prone.
I don’t think it’s terribly far off. St. Louis has reported interest in Puljujarvi and it wouldn’t be the first time the Oilers moved a struggling top-three draft pick to the Music City.
A definite pass on this one for me. Vladislav Gavrikov just ain’t it for what the Oilers need on their blue line. This is a great read from NHL_Sid on Gavrikov. I’m not sure Nyquist fills any holes for the Oilers, either.
I’m gonna say no on this one. Ekholm is a great target for the Oilers, but they’re not moving Brett Kulak.
This Ekholm deal feels more realistic.
I think the price has come down on Chychrun a bit over time, and this could be a deal that gets it done. The problem is the Oilers would be throwing all their eggs in one basket, so to speak, and the club likely would need to make another move to improve this team. A question back: who comes out of the lineup on the left-side to make room for Chychrun? I’m not sure any of the Oilers current lefties deserve to.
That’s an interesting proposal. DeBrincat is an RFA and due for a decent raise in terms of his salary, and that’s why I think it wouldn’t happen. There’s just no way the Oilers could realistically fit him under the cap next year. Love the player, though.
I like a few pieces here. I’ve been a fan of Gallagher’s game for a while, but he’s never able to stay healthy. I’ve said it before, but I don’t think Edmundson is the guy the Oilers need on the backend, and Chris Wideman is a fine depth player. I’m high on Raphael Lavoie, doubly so after getting live viewings of him. I’ll pass here.
A few interesting ones here. If the Oilers were to trade for Chychrun, one of the left-shot defencemen would have to come out of the lineup. Kulak makes sense, but I’m not sure the team is eager to move him in any sense of the term. I think the value is close to being right on both players, although Edmonton might need to add a ‘B’ level prospect for Chychrun.
I think both of these could make sense. Tarasenko wants out, but he has a NMC so he’d have to want to come to Edmonton. I think you might have to add a prospect to this deal to make St. Louis comfortable taking Foegele’s extra year, but it makes some sense. Dumba’s game has struggled as of late and could very well need a change of scenery. I think he’s better in a second-pairing role and would be a welcome addition to the Oilers’ blueline.
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@oilersnation.com.

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