Elliotte Friedman shares more bad news for the Oilers.

The situation in Edmonton has turned dire with the Edmonton Oilers quickly playing themselves out of playoff contention despite it still being very early in the regular season. The Oilers have now lost 4 straight and have won just 2 of their 12 games played this season, a shocking turn of events for a team that was expected by many to be a Stanley Cup contender this season.

The stunning start has led many to believe that there will be significant changes forthcoming for the Oilers but doing so may be easier said than done. On Saturday night, National Hockey League insider Elliotte Friedman revealed that, in spite of efforts this week, there isn't likely going to be any help forthcoming for for the Oilers.

The first reason behind that is the reluctance from the Oilers to make a deal from a position of weakness.

"Edmonton this week, think they're in shock," said Friedman of the Oilers. "They did what all of you would expect, they spent a lot of this week calling around the league, trying to see what was available out there. But the one thing they made very clear is that they weren't going to make a desperate, dumb, deal."

This however won't get a deal done at this point in the season according to Friedman.

"The problem with that is that other teams say 'Look were happy to just wait things out right now' so Edmonton didn't find a trade partner on anything that could be reasonable," said Friedman on Hockey Night in Canada. "So they have to figure it out themselves."

If the Oilers continue their losing ways the NHL insider believes that something is going to have to give in Edmonton, but with seemingly so few options for the Oilers you have to wonder what that might mean for the team moving forward? A change at coach? A shift in mangement?

Stay tuned.