Oilers' Chiarelli planning trade in front of his own players?

The rumor mill has been spinning in Edmonton and the pace might be getting quicker with the holiday freeze taking place in less than 24 hours... There is also the latest move pulled by Oilers general manager Peter Chiarelli, which is now getting fans believing we might be on the verge of a trade. 

The Oilers have been looking for an added boost on their back end especially since Oscar Klefbom will be out until late-January or early-February after undergoing surgery on a broken finger sustained against the Colorado Avalanche. And of course, it adds up to Kris Russell being placed on the IR with that is suspected to be a groin problem and Andrej Sekera not being slated to return until January or so... 

Help is needed and players in the dressing room must know that their GM is seeking solutions on the trade market. However, on Tuesday, Chiarelli made a bold move by meeting face to face with another general manager ahead of tonight's contest. Chiarelli and St. Louis Blues GM Doug Armstrong were seen talking in a suite of Rogers Place this morning, and TSN's Ryan Rishaug posted a picture of the two men talking with the caption: 

"Oiler fans... 3..2..1... discuss..."

For weeks now, trade chatter has picked up in St. Louis. NHL insider Elliotte Friedman recently reported the Blues are “open for business,”claiming there were “few things they won't consider.”  

The Blues are certainly considering all of the options available, so much so that NHL insider Nick Kypreos previously linked the Toronto Maple Leafs to star blue liner Alex Pietrangelo. What if the Oilers had a better offer? 

On top of the Maple Leafs, Matt Larkin of The Hockey News recently revealed four other teams in the NHL looking to get their hands on the star blue liner. The competition will be quite intense as Larkin lists the Leafs, Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Colorado Avalanche, and Vegas Golden Knights as possible destinations for Pietrangelo.

The only thing that might stop Chiarelli from pulling the trigger on a move with Armstrong is the fact that Pietrangelo is injured. Which is so redundant now for Edmonton and their overflowing infirmary. 

It was mentioned by Friedman that a trade for Pietrangelo in return for William Nylander fell through in Toronto earlier this season, however, the insider strongly believes Armstrong could be tempted to try and move his captain again. 

"The biggest takeaway from all of this: The fact Pietrangelo’s name got out there indicates the Blues are willing to do it," Friedman wrote his last week's 31 Thoughts column on Sportsnet.