Rumours aplenty tonight. Over the past few hours there have been numerous reports that Edmonton has engaged in talks on both Jacob Chychrun as well as Erik Karlsson.

Let's talk about Chychrun first as cold water is already being poured on this one. It came out this evening that Chychrun was being held out of the lineup for "trade related reasons" shortly afterwards there were reports that both the Oilers and Leafs were in on the defender. Shortly after that, Jeff Marek reported that both the Oilers and Leafs camps had said that they were not in on Chychrun. Rumoured teams right now are Vegas, LA, and the Bruins.

Now, the Erik Karlsson trade talk remains in the air. Reportedly, the Oilers would need to have the Sharks retain roughly 40% of his cap on a deal. Karlsson is 32 years old and having a Norris worthy season with 70 points in 53 games with the San Jose Sharks. Karlsson has four more years on his contract after this one at 11.5 million. The Oilers are asking the Sharks to retain close to 4.5-5 million on his salary.

If such a trade were to happen, it would have to involve Barrie and Puljujarvi going the other way, just to make the cap work, along with at least a couple first round picks and more to have the Sharks retaining so much salary. Is it worth it? I actually believe it is. Karlsson would look amazing with McDavid and Draisaitl and I would also play him away from Nurse. Karlsson would give Edmonton the legitimate top end right shot true #1 that they have lacked forever.

The Oilers are in win now mode but until tonight there has not been many rumours that have put Edmonton in the running for high end players. The fact that there are legitimate reports that the Oilers are actively trying to acquire big name players for the playoffs is something Oilers fans have been waiting for for years.

The next 24-48 hours could be absolutely wild and crazy for the Oilers... or nothing at all could happen. It's the best part of the NHL season right now and I hope you all stay on for the ride.

Thanks for reading!

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