We are deep enough into the month that every single update on Twitter could be a trade announcement. The deadline is less than a week away and Edmonton still has 4 games to play between now and then. The Oilers are sellers but with the expressed desire to be better as early as October next season. They’ve wasted McDavid’s final ELC year and cannot afford to go full Islanders with McDavid’s next contract.

The Oilers are banking on a market for players like Maroon and Cammalleri. We’ve written about Maroon several times. I think he is being criminally underrated by the media. They talk about him like he’s a 4th liner, but he is 4th in team scoring and on pace for 40+ points with 20+ goals. You would get the impression that he’s a lumbering giant with literal stone for hands but the reality is he was keeping up on a line with McDavid for the past 2 years and that’s not an easy task.

As for Cammalleri, well that’s something else. I haven’t liked Cammalleri for the most part, and he’s been healthy scratched a few times this season. However, despite not scoring a goal since Christmas, he has managed to put up 7 points in his last 8 games. There just might be some redemption for Cammalleri yet to come.

He has been on a wicked PDO heater through February thus far and that’s exactly what Edmonton needs. Any asset gained for expiring contracts before the deadline can be ammunition at the draft. Whether they are used to take a player and help restock the cupboards, move up in the draft, or traded for immediate help, it is all better than losing a player for nothing.

The Oilers have Maroon, Letestu, and Cammalleri leaving the club as UFAs and it makes sense to move them (unless Maroon can be signed to a sweetheart deal), but the RFA situation is problematic as well. The following players will be RFA and needing new contracts:

Ryan Strome
Anton Slepyshev
Drake Caggiula
Iiro Pakarinen
Brandon Davidson
Matt Benning
Darnell Nurse
Laurent Brossoit
Edmonton is in an interesting place with these players because some are due raises but the Oil are on a budget. They will have maybe $20M for 10 roster spots and they need obvious upgrades. With Strome due a $3M qualifying offer, there may not be room for him. Darnell Nurse is going to need a new contract and he has established himself in Edmonton’s top 4 defenders. Benning is going to get a raise too, albeit not a huge one.

Then there’s Drake Caggiula, who lord only knows what this team is capable of doing with his next deal. I mean, I honestly have no idea. The coach plays him like a top 6 forward but he’s really poor offensively and defensively. If I were to guess, I’d say probably WAY TOO MUCH.

At any rate, trading from this list of RFAs is also more than possible for the Oil, except there aren’t any players likely to garner interest around the league. Not to defame Slepyshev or Pakarinen, but every team has a Slepyshev and Pakarinen already. Maybe there’s a market for Strome *cough* Arizona *cough*, but that’s still a hard sell at $3M.

LINEUP

Nuge was skating with his teammates today! Return date, unknown.

Maroon McDavid Draisaitl
Lucic Strome Cammalleri
Caggiula Khaira Puljujarvi
Slpeyshev Letestu Kassian

Klefbom Russell
Nurse Larsson
Auvitu Davidson

Talbot

OILERS KEYS TO THE GAME

1) The Best. The Oilers will have their hands full tonight as they face off against the best line in hockey. The trio of Marchand, Pastrnak, and Bergeron are buzzsaws this year. They have 71 goals between them already this year and a combined 159 points. Patrice Bergeron might be the best all-around player in the NHL. Marchand is the premier pest/rat in the league. Pastrnak is a 21 year old who is looking for his 2nd 30+ goal season in a row. They possess the puck and make you pay for your mistakes. Edmonton will likely respond by putting Draisaitl and McDavid together to fight fire with fire. I’m concerned.

2) McGoalScoring. Connor McDavid has scored 11 goals in February over his last 9 games. Goals. Just goals. McDavid catches hell for passing the puck and deferring too much, but the reality of the situation is that he leads the Oilers in shots on net and he’s 22nd in the NHL in shots. He’s 11th in 5v5 shots this season. He’s on pace for 37 goals and he could hit 40 given his recent uptick in scoring. Without McDavid this Oilers team would be in total despair. He is special and surging right now.

3) Staying Focused. The Oilers give up goals early at a rate I’ve never seen before. It’s been almost 20% (not exaggerating) that the opposition has scored on the first shot. Then you have to factor in where the opposition has scored on the 2nd or 3rd. Early in games the Oilers need to find a way to bear down and make the right plays. It’s tough to play from behind all the time. It’s demoralizing to see that 1st shot go in so frequently. The coaching staff and the players all share in the blame, but they are also the only ones who can fix it.

Puck drops tonight at 7PM Mountain Time on Sportsnet West. Tank On!

Follow me on Twitter @Archaeologuy

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