The Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs have talked trade
David Staples of The Edmonton Journal: The Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs have held trade talks, according to David Pagnotta, when asked by Jeff Marek on his The Sheet podcast.
“Yeah, there was some word out of Edmonton that, leading up to this freeze that they have been having discussions with the Toronto Maple Leafs. I don’t know the specifics of where they’re going. I’m going to speculate a little bit. And it wasn’t (Toronto winger) Bobby McMann. I know there was a lot of attention and a lot of speculation surrounding Bobby McMann going into the week.
I know they hadn’t spoken about McMann, but it sounds like maybe it’s a (Toronto centre) Nic Roy. Maybe it’s an (Top 4 d-man) Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Those are two that I would not be shocked if they’ve poked on. But I was told by a couple of people that the Oilers and Leafs had conversations leading up to the deadline, the freeze, Deadline Jr. And that might be something to keep an eye on, going out of the break and closer to actual D-Day.”
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Bob Stauffer and Elliotte Friedman have noted that the Oilers are likely looking for a third-line winger, with Stauffer saying someone with size and speed. McMann is from Alberta, is big, fast, and carries a $1.35 million cap hit.
The Oilers have cap issues and are trying to move Andrew Mangiapane‘s $3.6 million cap hit that runs through next season. It will likely take a sweetener to move his contract.
Adam Henrique and his $3 million cap hit will be returning soon, so that will complicate the Oilers cap situation even further.
The 34-year-old Ekman-Larsson has two years left at $3.5 million, and may make sense for the Oilers in the short-term. Would have to move Mangiapane’s contract somewhere for the Oilers to even consider it. The cost to acquire McMann could be high given the number of teams looking for depth and someone with a cap hit of $1.35 million.
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Would a Nic Roy ($3 million) for Mangiapane with a sweetener work for the Oilers?
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