Eberle? [UPDATED]

Much to the dismay of most Edmonton Oilers fans, Jordan Eberle's name has been swirling in the trade rumor mills for about a year. The highly talented right wing might just be the perfect trade piece to get what the Oilers desperately need: Aaron Ekblad.

The Florida Panthers sit in the enviable position of having the #1 pick in the draft that starts Friday night. Last week GM Dale Tallon mentioned that he had received one fair offer for the pick but nothing much more than that. Well the heat has been turned up for teams that are looking to add the most "NHL-ready" player in the draft in Ekblad to their rosters.

"It's going to be a tough decision,'' said Tallon, who said he has received two "concrete" offers for the first pick. We've had some offers that are intriguing. One really intriguing one. We'll have a sleepless [Friday] night as we as a staff are going to sit on it, ponder it. If we take the pick, we're excited about that as well.''

"[The offers] are over and above what we thought we would get,'' Tallon said, although he wouldn't devolve names nor teams. "We have another offer close to it. We'll see what happens in the next 24 hours.''

Tallon said that there is a 70% chance they stay put with their pick, but other offers are sure to come in tonight and tomorrow.

But if there is one deal that makes sense for both teams, it's Eberle to the Panthers to swap spots. Edmonton gets their franchise defenseman, and Florida adds a bonafide offensive star who is entering his prime. Also in Florida's favor is they can absorb any salary in the league with over $30 million so spend this offseason.

Florida could then drop to the 3rd pick and either trade down again or choose who is left between Reinhart, Bennett, and Draisaitl. Not a bad haul and certainly a shot in the arm to the offense.

Edmonton has done an excellent job at stockpiling offensive talent over the last few years, but their defensive woes are beyond troublesome. Ekblad fits the bill perfectly for what they need.

Eberle recorded 28 goals and 37 assists last year, and his -15 rating is a result of a horrible defensive team from top to bottom. To put how badly a player like this is needed on the Panthers, his 65 points would have lead the Panthers in scoring, leaving Nick Bjugstad in second place, 27 POINTS BEHIND. If Eberle were available in any way, surely Tallon would be willing to part with some of his young talent as well to soften Edmonton's loss.

Is the price high? Sure. Players like Eberle don't grow on trees, nor do defensemen like Ekblad. But where Edmonton is weak Florida is relatively solid in the coming years. Where Florida is weak(goal scorers, especially at RW), Edmonton is strong. The give and take would be more than fair in such a deal.

Here is a transcript in the Edmonton Journal from a discussion on TSN in January. Obviously this was before the draft lottery was held:

James Duthie: Dallas Eakins acknowledges on Wednesday that if he can’t get the Oilers going, that eventually he would be gone. We ask if things don’t get turned around short-term, what should GM Craig MacTavish do with his next move? Stay the course and pray for Ekblad (Aaron Ekblad, who could go first overall in the draft, the fine defenceman)? Replace Eakins? Trade Nail Yakupov? Or big gulp and trade Jordan Eberle?

Aaron Ward: Big gulp and trade Jordan Eberle. To get value you have to give up value. This guy has the most substance in his game. There may be more dynamic players in the Oilers’ line-up, but he is the most substantial guy, when you look at a team wanting something, it’s Eberle. If you want a headliner goalie oir that stud defenceman, you have to give up something significant.

Martin Biron: Very large gulp and trade Eberle. I think you have to maybe even trade more players. I think it’s one of those situations where you have to look at the foundation and say, ‘that group doesn’t work together’. It might work individually somewhere else, but get as much as you can for him.

Darren Dreger: Trade Eberle but it’s not going to happen until the off-season if it happens at all. Wardo’s right, you need a 25-minute d-man, you need a starting goaltender, you’re not getting that unless you trade Eberle or Yakupov and the first. ----

The only problem with this Eberle scenario for Edmonton would be that Yakupov would then be the "best" RW on the roster. That alone might be too tough to make a deal. I'm not sure if Yakupov's inconsistency would be worthy of him being substituted for Eberle in this scenario.

It will be interesting to see if Edmonton is willing to part ways with offensive talent now for better long-term defensive stability. Surely other teams covet Ekblad as well and could be putting similar or better offers together. But Eberle and Ekblad could be just what the doctor ordered for both of these teams.

As always, your comments and input are appreciated. Thanks for reading.

Dan Spiegel Florida Panthers Media Follow me on Twitter Join the Florida Panthers Insiders FB Page Connect with me on Google Plus