When a team is losing, there are predictable results. For Edmonton Oilers fans, trade rumours used to be an annual event by mid-winter. We’d talk about veterans from November to the trade deadline, at which point they were sent away with futures. Who can forget hits like “Ryan Smyth to the Islanders” or “Erik Cole we hardly knew ye” and “So long, Dustin Penner”?
- Elliotte Friedman on Sportsnet 650: “One other name I would throw out there – if Edmonton doesn’t get back into the race, I’m curious what they’re going to do with Nugent-Hopkins.” Source
We know from previous reporting that the Columbus Blue Jackets are a team of interest for the Oilers. Logic dictates CBJ may be a team focused on RNH as a trade target. We know Peter Chiarelli was in Boston Friday watching the Bruins and has been scouting them quite a bit recently (source: Alex Thomas).
if Nuge’s name is out there, that might be an indication the club will deal him in-season should things continue to slide. Perhaps the plan is to sign Patrick Maroon with some of the leftover money and get young, entry-level players for RNH. A young center plus a defender who can help and not break the bank?
What Does it all Mean?
If the Oilers season continues to falter, Peter Chiarelli may look at offloading some of his expensive contracts in anticipation of what will likely be an extremely active summer 2018. Nuge might be at the intersection of what the Oilers are willing to give up and what has value to other NHL teams.
One for one deals have been in fashion for Peter Chiarelli since he arrived. Perhaps we’ll see more than one asset in return for Nugent-Hopkins should it come to pass.
I’m sure Oilers fans would prefer equal or greater value. For me, I don’t think trading Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is a good idea, now or in summer. He’s a keeper.
I have hated the signing of Chiarelli since the beginning. In Boston, he did not know how to manage a salary cap, traded Seguin for a washed up nobody in return, lost Boston’s elite defensive core. When he came here, he sold Yakupov when his value was at his lowest, sold Eberle at his lowest for an underwhelming Strome, lost 2 picks, including 1st rounder, for Reinhart, traded Hall (number 1 overall pick 2010 and one of the top left wingers in the league) for a journeyman defence man. Now, he is thinking of losing Nuge for more “magic beans”. He failed to act on insufficiencies over the summer with this team and does not recognize that the game needs speed, not anchors like Lucic or Maroon. Name one thing Chiarelli at this time has made better on this team this year? Sorry, he has improved Katz’s income as he is 10 million under salary cap in this the 7th highest market in the NHL.
Since cherelli is here bad trade reinhart and hall my god and lucic , russel contract is putting the in very bad place
Yes yes yes, I’ve heard this a million time this last month. We all get it. Chia screwed up.
Not once, repeatedly.
… well what else is there to talk about until he’s fired?
I can’t wait for Chiarelli to get fleeced on another trade for Nuge. It will be just great. Get rid of Chia before he ruins the team even more.
It’s kind of funny that you banned me one time for bashing Chia. And arguing with the Chia yes men on here. Good times.
I’m pleased to see a person who analyzes the team for a living make such a definitive, unambiguous statement.
If the city paid for x% of the rink, and the city gets its money from the people, who are the actual fans, who also fund OEG, then shouldn’t x% of The Nuge question be put to a city referendum?
Why are you fearful, O baggedmilk of little faith?
Chiarelli is the guy that has to go…..I’m just wondering how Bob Nicholson & Wayne Gretzky can continue to watch Chiarelli get his head kicked in on all these trades…
He’s traded anything that had value for pennies on the dollar, more to the point is that MSM have now started to notice and are rightfully questioning these trades openly, Edmonton’s media of course is still miles behind for some inexplicable reason?
You guys are so hypocritical. Last year oilersnation wanted pc to expose eberle in the expansion draft for nothing. Now he didn’t get enough for him. Hypocrites. Please elaborate for me which trades he got his “head kicked in”. I’m very interested in hearing more whining from you guys!
Jultzy, your blind optimism often sounds like blind stupidity:
Eberle had to go, whatever we got for him. A good GM would have cut bait before and would have got more.
The Reinhart deal….those were good picks if not to get Barzal to trade them for a better defender (dummy Hamilton was not the only defender in the world back then).
The Larsson trade….I like Larsson but this would have been a more fair deal with a pick (we could have a good prospect now). Hall after all is a fantastic player.
The Yak trade…. I don’t know you but today in which line would yak be playing? Top 9 for sure. We got an ECHLer.
So Chia did get kicked on the teeth…. or how do you see it? You like all these trades?
I have never wavered in my opinions of Chiarelli trades; I had many arguments with @Batman and @Spyder about keeping Eberle.
If Eberel HAD to be traded…. then it was best to keep him this year and trade him at the deadline while his stock was higher or get something like VALUE back.
I hated the Reihart deal.
I hated the Hall trade
I hated the way he handled Pouliot deal! Egregious CAP asset management
I like getting Lucic…….This contract alone should have gotten Chiarelli fired, it’s a buyout prof contract that is way too long at way to high of dollars.
I hated the Eberle deal – nowhere near the value back
I hated the contract given to Draisaitl, felt anything over 7.5 million and he should have been dealt to the Avalanche for MacKinnon.
NOT finding a replacement for Sekera for half a season is degradation of duty
NOT using the CAP space for trading Eberle is also piss poor asset management
This is not a small sample size; this is a huge loss of skilled assets, and this is just the OILERS, he did the same thing in Boston and left them a mess.
So, it’s not hypocritical to say he’s a very poor manager. He’s awful.
The msm is a bunch hacks. If they don’t write what the team wants they start to lose access. No one wants to upset poor PC.
Personally I would trade Leo before the Nuge, why because clearly RNH is the preferred 2nd line center and Leon is the worlds most expensive winger.
Trading Leon would get you the stud right d man the team needs as well as another top six player and maybe even a solid prospect.
If PC is moving the Nuge the return will be similar to the Eberle trade.
PC lost the Hall trade by a mile, gave Eberle away, gave away the pick (Barzal) as well as a top center in Boston, do you,really want him trading the Nuge .
Time to find a real GM, Toronto did it right as did Tampa , when you have solid management the team will be built proper.
The Oilers don’t have top notch coaching or management, look at the farm team , almost every team in the league has a prospect or two ripping it up and ready to join the team next year. The Oilers, not so much.
How did we end up with so many players that can’t keep up with the other teams speed and we only talk about trading one of the only players that can?
For God’s sake, keep RNH and let Maroon walk.
Completely agree.
Real talk –
Nuge is probably Edmonton’s second best player. He is consistent defensively and has found his offensive touch this year. He is out playing Draisitil who is costing 2 million more per year.
Hall for Larrson
Eberle for Strome
Nugent – Hopkins for … Boone Jenner?
Again if this is a cap dump, it’s because of poor asset management (LOL at Russel at 4 mill per year – if he makes 4 mill Nurse is going to want 6-8 mill) which sits solely on the GM.
If you want to trade for skill and a cap dump trade Draisitil – he’ll probably have more value than Nuge and his contract is a bigger hit. Nuge is a proven 2C as well, while Draisitil is not.
One thing is for sure, Drai is not worth an 8.5 million cap hit.
I am curious as to what Bob Nicholson is thinking of what to do about the state of the Oilers.
If PC actually signs Maroon for more than a million he is without a doubt the worst GM in the league. Maroon is a disposable part, easy to find a big body with marginal talent to play wing for McDavid. For god sakes Oilers do not do a Russell deal for Maroon we are going to be in cap hell soon enough and you can’t have a slug making 3 or 4 million a year
Prepare yourself. It’s going to happen.
Also, are the rumors of a locker room rift true? If yes, could we unload the not Nuge and McDavid contracts please? Am I the only one who likes Nuge as much or more than Drai?
Anyone who has played hockey realizes that dressing rooms are never 100% unified. It’s a little like high school – small groups of close friends form and there are the leaders (cool kids), geeks, outsiders, etc. None of this matters if the guys you don’t like do their jobs. Winning trumps all. Also, I think coaches can separate small issues in the group dynamic from serious conflict that could cause irreparable damage to the team. Maybe I am too trusting, but if there was a serious issue I believe PC would get rid of everyone involved. His track record is just that; if a guy doesn’t fit, he’s gone.
Yes, and with respect, you are too trusting re. locker rooms in general. I’m not saying — because I have no idea — that this is going on with our current crew, but remember Tommy Salo? I think we all know that story.
Keep McJesus, Nuge, Nurse, Larrson.
Some dude on 1260
I’d rather we talk about the “Nuge Must Stay” rally… We should all be making placards right now
what rumors of a locker room rift? Sources please
Likely referring to the Nurse beating up Draisiatl in a bar over a woman thangie that’s been going around
Drai screwed Klefboms girl it’s being said. Nurse punched him out over it. Roomers.
Well if they keep Nuge at least they won’t have to worry about HIM punching anybody out!
Yes
so no actual sources then. just he said she said.
something sure ain’t right in “the room”, though
If I was ownership, I’d be concerned about letting Chia make any more trades,
I think Bob Nicholson could veto any trade he didn’t agree with. Maybe I am wrong. Regardless, I agree that the Oilers cannot afford any asset mismanagement going forward. As for the style of play; I agree with your perspective on the size and (potential) grittiness of the team. Some of that play we saw last year has been diluted into stick-fishing in the corners vs. good body position and contact. As the kids would say we need more beast mode from our heavy players.
Bob has no say in player personnel. It starts and ends with Chia. That’s why he would only come in as dual president and gm. He has total autonomy. And from the moment this team hired him I told you all he was going to screw it all up and ruin this team.
When you have a GM and coach on different wave lengths anything can happen. Coach thinks RNH is teams second best forward. GM payed Leon to be Oilers second best forward. GM can’t fire coach because he has more respect in the league than he does, the Mike Babcock coaching fraternity is more respected than a GM that continuously loses trades for high end skill players. Two weeks ago I didn’t think RNH could be traded, but as things move along it could be either RNH moves along to make room for Leon, Leon moves along, coach gets fired or quite simply the GM is the first to go. With Katz and the old boys club in the background, nothing would surprise me right now.
Is it possible, omg, that the old boys are getting closer and closer to Katz ear again with this sheet show going on? Say it ain’t so Joe.
Agreed they appear to be on different wave lengths. Don’t think that McL believes Nuge to be a superior player to Drai. He just believes that Nuge is a centerman and Drai is more versatile. And c’mon ON – geez, if McL would play Drai consistently in the middle with 2 decent wingers, it would soon be no contest as to who the better centerman and player is. Drai is the consumate natural centerman for crying out loud and has been a c man his whole life. Only a moron would waste his natural c man abilities for much longer. Which leads me to McL. Anyway – PC is right, Drai is a c man, not a winger and Nuge is in the way. Nuge has trade value and if PC can get the right return – its the right thing to do. The only thing that would change my mind is if somehow there is truth to some of these rumors about Drai and Nurse and whoever else may have been involved. If Drai really screwed up – well, he has trade value and he is worth the contract.
I think LD and RNH are better fundamentally at centre than Connor. If the Oilers were to put Connor on RNH’s wing and set him free I think it would be magic. Let the trashes begin. Lol
I don’t understand all the Ryan Murray trade talk. First of all he is a LEFT HANDED D-MAN. That alone should nix that trade (unless they are trading a LD). Second of all RM would be third on the depth chart. Trading a 2C for a 3LD (when we already have enough) is ridiculous.
If Chia trades Nuge for Murray I think a lot of fans will be done with this team.
I think the next guy moved from the organization should be Chia. Moving Nuge would be devastating to the team.
I’m all for firing chia, problem is, who the hell replaces him at this stage???
MacT?!?!
In hind sight, I wonder if macT would have done less damage to the oilers if he were still GM… He was too gun-shy to trade the Austins… which might have been a blessing in disguise. It was on record that he was the one who orchestrated the Talbot trade, so we still would have got Talbot for similar assets. And I doubt he would have traded for Reinhart. He might have even got Hamilton cause Boston wouldn’t have hated us. We might have sucked for one more year, but we wouldn’t have anchor Lucic or Russel deals…
Wow… I can’t believe I’m saying this but, man I wish macT was still our GM…
(I feel dirty now)
I’ll take the GM job. I would be the best GM in the league, according to my calculations.
Return to the decade of darkness. Chia has destroyed this team further. The roster is bleak and the organizational depth has gotten worse or improved little with him.
If he brings back an impactful RD w offense of the top 4 variety maybe. I am disappointed in Lucic at This point. It would be a shame to have to trade him to have room for that contract.
Agreed, Nuge is a keeper. If the choice is between Nuge and Maroon then I know who I am keeping. Maroon isn’t having a great season and can’t realistically be expecting that big of a raise but for me the Oilers money is far better spent on a strong two way center then on a complimentary right winger who doesn’t do much other then take passes from Connor.
If the Oilers are nowhere near the hunt by trade deadline I could see Maroon getting traded.
“Perhaps the plan is to sign Maroon with the left over money and get entry level players for RNH.”
I think this article is preparing Oilersnation for a low return on RNH.
This season seems like it is tipping over the edge right now. The Flames comeback last year is an anomaly, as teams don’t really move around too much past the quarter pole. I don’t like the return PC has received in any of his trades (I do like Larsson but would’ve liked a pick or prospect to come with him). This will be another stinker if he trades Nuge. I know that some of the ON armchair GM’s have an issue with the 7 mil that Nuge is getting but the guy is undervalued in this organization IMO. He has been/is a solid defensive player for us who has finally started to combine that with finding the back of the net. Leon could fill the hole at 2C but then how do you fill the hole that Leon leaves at 1RW? Our R side is very thin. I see no world in which PC trades Nuge away and makes our team better.
Learn is playing aside McDavid game in and game out and still has less points than Nuge with a larger contract. I’m not so sure i keep him over Nuge.
$7 ml??
Nuge is 6 million and scored 56 points max. He is worth it. He does all the hard stuff. 97 and Leon play the best together. Defence, defence, defence. Stay out of the penalties. This team lacks discipline. Detroit games showed focus. Be that team
I will be pissed if Nuge goes.
Fire the coach first and see if that sparks something.
Dave Tippett please.
Agreed! Other teams doing more with less!
We need new coach.
This nightmare will continue until Chia is gone, I really hope it’s not long but in truth it could be years. This reminds me of the Eakins day’s when you knew as much as it hurt that we actually needed to lose in order for heads to roll. .500 Hockey will get us no where
Trade Nuge to sign Maroon. Sadly that is something chia would do. Unfortunately he seems to be too busy watching other teams play to watch his own team play. If he did he would see who is actually providing value and who is coasting around the ice, taking penalties and turning the puck over. Maroon and Lucic need to go. Neither can play a lick and clearly their leadership qualities are doing us a lot of good.
U can only laugh after reading articles like this. No point in getting pissed cause the damage is already done. This is just abit of salt in the wound . Hasn’t actually accomplished anything but he’s planning on actively downgrading (even further from the offensively impotent team we have now) because he’s totally cap strapped himself as well.
Can U imagine now going out and dealing nuge for lesser cheaper players?
Fire him before he does anymore damage !!!