The Flyers’ messy situation has naturally sparked trade chatter, but the idea of Edmonton swooping in for a big deadline haul looks a lot more like a talking point than a real path.
Tyler Yaremchuk of Daily Faceoff Edmonton floated the notion that the Oilers could take advantage of Philadelphia’s unrest with a “one-swing” move that would bring in help on the blue line and another forward for the top six. He pointed to Rasmus Ristolainen as a name that has been tied to Edmonton since he began covering the team, and he also raised the possibility of bigger swings involving Owen Tippett or Travis Konecny.
“Is there a world where you can go do a little one-stop shopping?” asked Yaremchuk. Don’t hold your breath.
The problem starts with the cost. Edmonton does not have an easy way to land that kind of package, and even if the Oilers technically have pieces to move, they may not want to part with them. On top of that, Philadelphia may not be interested in what Edmonton would be willing to send back.
GM Stan Bowman also can’t just pile on salary and hope it works out. Bringing in something in the range of $12 -$14 million would create major cap issues, and the only real way to start that kind of conversation would be to include Jake Walman. Even then, he has a full no-move, and there’s no guarantee the Flyers would want him anyway.
The Matvei Michkov angle is even harder to picture. If Edmonton were to chase a player like that, it would be stepping into a complicated situation involving a restricted free agent who has already had communication and coaching issues since arriving in the NHL.
The talent is obvious, but so are the questions. He would likely see his value one way, while the Oilers would see it another.
There is at least a theory here: a team could call Philadelphia, sense the pressure, and try to turn that into a bargain. “Catch them at a point of desperation and see if maybe you can win a trade here,” said Yaremchuk.
That part makes sense. The idea that Edmonton is the team to do it? That’s where the pitch starts to fall apart.
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