Oilers' Chiarelli had odd discussion about trading Nugent-Hopkins

The Oilers need to shore up their blue line, but they cannot give up huge pieces in return!

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 5 years ago
Oilers' Chiarelli had odd discussion about trading Nugent-Hopkins
Zuma Press

The Edmonton Oiler and general manager Peter Chiareilli are under the gun. Again. The Oilers have just one win in their last eight games and are looking to stick in the playoff race. On Sunday, the Canadian team acquired depth defensemen Alex Petrovic and Brandon Manning and it seems like it's only the beginning of major changes to come in Edmonton, seeing that this latest transaction won't be enough to help the Oilers shore up their blue line...

It seems like all of the trades Chiarelli has pulled this season have been temporary fixes. Clearly, the Oilers need something bigger. According to NHL insider Pierre LeBrun, Edmonton would love to get a top-four defenseman before the Feb. 25 trade deadline. While the move would be a perfect one to fix one of the Oilers' biggest voids, it seems like that type of deal isn’t available to them at the present time, though maybe that might change when rival clubs start falling out of playoff contention in the coming weeks.

LeBrun believes they’d like to land that top-four blue liner for futures, rather than giving up a top-six forward. However, he does reveal in his latest column on The Athletic that the Oilers have had an odd chat with the Carolina Hurricanes in recent weeks. It is believed Chiarelli might have asked for Justin Faulk or Brett Pesce, and LeBrun feels the Hurricanes will ask for Ryan Nugent-Hopkins in return, something the Oilers GM sounds reluctant to do.

"If the Oilers were to ever ask for either Justin Faulk or Brett Pesce, the Hurricanes I am sure would then ask for Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Which I doubt very much Chiarelli would have any interest in doing. All you’re doing at that point is trying to fill one major hole in one area but creating a crater somewhere else.
No, what I think Chiarelli hopes to somehow swing closer to Feb. 25 is upgrading the blue-line in exchange for futures."

LeBrun suggests a better solution for the Oilers, one that wouldn't prove as costly in the long-term. He wonders if the Los Angeles Kings, who are clearly focused on the future, would look at a picks/prospects package in exchange for Jake Muzzin. 

In the meantime, the Oilers will have to keep pushing and climbing up the standings to remain in a playoff spot, while they wait and see if Chiarelli can get the perfect pitch to land this top-four blue liner. The St. Blues, for example, have been struggling all season long and many rumours surrounded captain Alex Pietrangelo... He could become a target for the Oilers, who are still looking to get help from sidelined defenders in Andrej Sekera and Kris Russell, who could return shortly. At least... 


Source: The Athletic