Before the Edmonton Oilers hired Ken Holland in May 2019 as the club’s general manager, the organization had spoken to the Boston Bruins about a massive deal that would’ve shaken both teams up.

The deal reportedly surrounded Oscar Klefbom and Torey Krug, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said on his 31 Thoughts podcast this week.

While the timeline of the trade wasn’t noted, Bruins beatwriter Joe Haggerty speculated in 2018 about a trade circulating Klefbom and 10th overall for Krug. The Oilers went on to select Evan Bouchard 10th overall that year.

The cost was high, but to hear that the Oilers may have been targeting Krug in a trade isn’t a huge surprise. Krug was signed as a free agent by Chiarelli in 2012 and has gone on to have a great career in Boston.

He’s a solid two-way defenceman who has boatloads of offensive upside to his game. Krug undoubtedly would’ve changed the makeup of the Oilers backend as a left-shot defenceman. He’s scored 337 points in 523 games over his career and has posted multiple 50+ point seasons.

It’s interesting to think of how the trade would’ve shaken up the Oilers. While the cost was prohibitive, Krug is a defenceman I have lots of time for and his play speaks for itself. He’s also been a powerplay QB for the Bruins, spending lots of time there.

Nonetheless, losing Klefbom and what would’ve been Bouchard was, in my opinion, too high of a price to pay. I think Bouchard has Krug levels of potential and I’m not convinced the acquisition would’ve propelled the Oilers that much further to success.

On Twitter: @zjlaing