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Weekly Rumours: Which forwards are available?
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Photo credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Tyler Yaremchuk
Dec 19, 2019, 09:00 ESTUpdated: Dec 19, 2019, 11:05 EST
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@Taylor Hall was going to be the most talked-about trade piece heading up to the NHL’s trade deadline and now, he’s off the board before the new year. While it’s always surprising to see a rental of his calibre dealt off months before the deadline, you can understand why both Arizona and New Jersey wanted to do it. 
For the Coyotes, they get an extra two months of a star player and essentially, more bang for their buck. For the Devils, they eliminate the storyline that would have lingered around their organization and they also take away any risk that the oft-injured star winger would suffer some sort of serious injury and deplete his trade value. It’s a win for both sides and leaves me wondering if other teams (hint: the Oilers) could look at making a move sooner rather than later.
The two biggest needs for the Oilers are a middle-six winger with scoring ability and a third-line centre. It’s still early in the season, but there are some names out there that should really interest Ken Holland.
@Chris Kreider is probably the best player that is currently rumoured to be on the market. TSN’s Insiders brought his name up during the most recent edition of ‘Insider Trading’ and he would be a perfect fit in Edmonton. He plays a fast, physical style of game and, most importantly, he scores goals. He’s produced at a 20 goal pace in every single one of his seven NHL seasons and he has eight so far this season. He is a pending UFA and his price will be high but if Ken Holland called on Taylor Hall, I would expect him to be interested in Kreider.
Last season, the Rangers dealt off a pair of notable pending UFA’s in Mats Zuccarello and Kevin Hayes but waited pretty much waited right up until the trade deadline to do so. Elliotte Friedman noted in his most recent ‘31 Thoughts’ column that he wouldn’t be surprised if they did the same with Kreider.
The same goes for JG Pageau, who would be a dream fit as the Oiler’s third-line centre. The Senators obviously love having him around and will likely try to sign him right up until the trade deadline. 
There was a column out of Detroit recently that suggested GM Steve Yzerman might be looking to deal off @Andreas Athanasiou before the trade deadline. Last season, the speedy winger scored 30 goals while shooting 13.9%. This season he has just five goals through 32 games with a shooting percentage of 6.7%. 
He is far from a strong defensive forward but he has some serious skill. Considering his current shooting percentage, the fact he plays for a dumpster fire of a hockey team, and his age (just 25 years old), the Oilers should be very interested in him. He’ll be an RFA at the end of the season.
Jan 10, 2019; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers defensemen Darnell Nurse (25) celebrates the first period goal against the Florida Panthers at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports
@Tyler Toffoli is also very interesting to me. He plays for a division rival, so I’m skeptical of how realistic the idea of the Oilers acquiring him is, but he can play in a top nine. He has nine goals in 35 games so far this season and while he struggled last season, he scored 24 goals in 2017/18. His playoff experience (21 points in 47 postseason games) is an added bonus. Friedman brought up both Toffoli and veteran forward @Trevor Lewis in yesterday’s ‘31 Thoughts piece.
Maybe more concerning for Oilers fans is how Ken Holland will handle a couple of players currently in the organization. Both @Darnell Nurse (RFA) and @Zack Kassian (UFA) are free agents at the end of the season and while both negotiations feel like they’re going to be difficult for Ken Holland to navigate, the fact that they’re getting going right now is great news for Oilers fans.
My personal take on the Kassian deal is that I wouldn’t go any more than three years and $3.5 million per season. You don’t want to lose a player like that, but you don’t want to commit a lot of money to a complementary player.
When it comes to Darnell Nurse, there are two important things to remember: he’s eligible for salary arbitration and he’s just two seasons away from being a UFA.
The TSN panel said that Nurse wants to be an Oiler and there is mutual interest in a long-term extension, but the Oilers cap situation makes it very difficult. Nothing has been reported, but I feel as though a seven or eight-year deal could push his AAV close to $7 million whereas a two or four-year deal could keep him around $5 million.
The good news is that there has been a dialogue between Holland and the respective agents for Kassian and Nurse. This is something we’ll be tracking for the next couple of months.

BONUS RUMOUR!!!

Pierre LeBrun mentioned a couple of times over the last few days that there was a ‘mystery team’ that held up the Coyotes/Devils trade for Taylor Hall. He later added that he believes it was the @Calgary Flames and that they offered the Devils a ‘hockey trade’ which made them think long and hard. It’s being reported that talks fell apart when the Flames couldn’t get a signed Taylor Hall included in the deal.
I haven’t seen this reported anywhere, but, would it surprise you at all if that rumoured deal was centred around Taylor Hall and Johnny Gaudreau? It wouldn’t stun me.

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