Oilers Should Consider a Trade to Free Up Cap Space

The Edmonton Oilers are one of many teams up against the salary cap this season. They are also expected to compete for a Stanley Cup, so they will require room to make some moves. That won’t happen without money being moved out.

The Oilers made one trade this offseason, moving Zack Kassian along with some draft picks to the Arizona Coyotes. That’s what it cost to move him and his contract. With the remaining possible trade candidates, the Oilers will likely get a return and not have to pay to dump any contracts.

With just a little over $0 to work with, it will benefit the Oilers to trade one of their players. Three names came up often during the offseason, and they haven’t changed. The team managed to make the roster work, but at the cost of one extra on their roster instead of three. They are also forced to constantly send players up and down between the NHL and American Hockey League (AHL). This handcuffs them for future additions this season. The Oilers shouldn’t force a trade and lose the deal just to change what they’re managing right now. They have time, but making a trade sooner rather than later will help them out more.

Trading Tyson Barrie

Tyson Barrie‘s name has been in rumours since Evan Bouchard emerged as an option to play the same role. They’re both offensive players, can run the power play, and play on the right side. Once Bouchard needs a contract next season, the Oilers won’t be able to pay him without moving out a significant contract in return. Barrie has one year left on his $4.5 million average annual value (AAV) deal after this season, so he is the prime candidate.

The Oilers’ defence has struggled in their first two games. It’s early in the season but already we’re seeing the same themes as last season. A lack of coverage and lots of high-danger scoring chances against are the most prominent. To be a Stanley Cup contender, the Oilers must be strong in all areas, which is why they have already called up Markus Niemelainen. The big and physical defender should add a jolt to the lineup and make them harder to play against.

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The Oilers won’t have a difficult time trading Barrie if they started actively trying to do so; right-shot offensive defencemen are hard to come by and the team has two. But since the cap hasn’t risen much in the past few years, the team can’t afford them both. If a team needs a boost to their power play or a top-four defender who can generate offence at even strength, he is the perfect candidate. If management can swap him and his contract for a more defensive player with a smaller cap hit, that would be the ideal situation for general manager Ken Holland to pull off.

Puljujarvi or Foegele

Both Jesse Puljujarvi and Warren Foegele had a tough second half of last season, which included a weak playoff performance. Neither were moved this offseason, which means the team didn’t sell them for below market value and has given them a fighting chance to bounce back and play like they can this season. Both had a strong preseason and are fighting to stay relevant in a strong forward group.

Related: Oilers Need an Early Season Line Shuffle to Address Issues

Another way of looking at it, however, is that with both of them in the lineup, the Oilers have to continue to play someone on the fourth line who shouldn’t be there. Foegele was brought in to play on the wing in the middle-six, but more so on the third line. That’s where he finds himself now. Puljujarvi was given another shot in the top six alongside elite centermen Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl. He won’t likely find himself on the fourth line again, but Foegele might. Yet, without either of them on the fourth line, Ryan Mcleod has been pushed down the lineup to play in that role. He still gets a decent amount of playing time, but his skill level indicates he should be a third-line player, at worst.

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Since Puljujarvi is a former fourth-overall pick and has shown lots of potential, the Oilers aren’t just going to give up on him. The Athletic’s Daniel Nugent-Bowman said the Oilers won’t just trade Puljujarvi for below-market value, especially since they haven’t put this much time and effort into developing the winger to trade him away for futures. He is 24 years old, on a fair contract, and put up 14 goals and 36 points in 64 games last season despite going dark in the second half of the season. He also received Selke Trophy votes, so he’s worth removing from the trade conversation for now.

Barrie is as good as gone by next season, but trading him this season could work in the right situation. Foegele seems to be the cost if the Oilers want some financial freedom this season since he’s played exclusively in the bottom six and has a cap hit of $2.75 million AAV. Ideally, the Oilers could clear both contracts and fill the holes with cheap replacements who have just as big of an impact. They just might have to settle for a smaller return. Of course, the team can keep chugging along as they have been, but it will be tough on some of the players.

Rob Couch is a THW freelance writer covering mainly the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames. He covers everything you need to know about fantasy hockey. He will also keep you up to date with NHL Stats News and trade talks.

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