In today’s NHL rumors rundown, the Edmonton Oilers traded Cody Ceci to the San Jose Sharks after first trading for Vasily Podkolzin from the Vancouver Canucks. Are these deals indicators that signal which direction the Oilers will go with the offer sheets tendered to Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway? Meanwhile, the Nashville Predators have been informed that Yaroslav Askarov is requesting a trade. Finally, did the Colorado Avalanche get news on the status of Gabriel Landeskog?
Are Oilers Matching the Broberg and Holloway Offer Sheets?
When the Oilers traded for Podkolzin, the immediate reaction among many insiders and fans was that Edmonton had landed the player they believed could be a replacement for Holloway. But, when the Oilers traded Cody Ceci to the Sharks, they potentially gave themselves enough room with Evander Kane on LTIR to match both offer sheets for Broberg and Holloway. Mark Spector writes:
Put Evander Kane on long-term injured reserve to start the season, send down a veteran with a cap hit greater than $850,000 — likely one of newcomers Emberson or Podkolzin, or Josh Brown — and the Oilers can retain both Broberg and Holloway and be cap compliant.
The cost for the Oilers to move the defenseman was lower than rumored and Edmonton attached a third-rounder in 2025 to the deal. However, the Oilers got back defenseman Ty Emberson in the trade. He could potentially make the roster as a depth defenseman.
Related: 3 Young Players the Edmonton Oilers Gave Up on Too Soon
According to PuckPedia, Edmonton can match both offer sheets -if they match both and Evander Kane returns with everyone healthy, the Oilers can only be compliant with another trade. If they match Broberg but not Holloway, the Oilers can be cap-compliant when Kane returns from LTIR without needing another trade.
There is some question about how potentially matching both offers will resonate in the Oilers’ locker room, but that announcement hasn’t been made yet and these are professionals. If Holloway and Broberg perform well, most, if not all, will be forgiven.
Why Such a Low Return for the Canucks?
Some fans in Vancouver were surprised by how little it took for the Oilers to land a solid prospect. A fourth-round pick in 2025 isn’t much. However, it appears the Canucks figured they were going to lose him for nothing and found a trade partner in Edmonton.
Rick Dhaliwal reported, “Podkolzin has 4 goals in his last 58 games with the Canucks. You were not getting better than a 4th round pick. Canucks got something as opposed to nothing on waivers. They can’t wait forever for him to become an everyday NHL player.” Thomas Drance of The Athletic writes, “Podkolzin was out of runway and his lack of progress last season significantly dented his odds of ever being a top-6 contributor. A change of scenery was probably best.”
Askarov Requests a Trade from Predators
According to ESPN analyst and NHL insider Kevin Weekes, Nashville Predators goaltender Yaroslav Askarov has informed the organization that he will not report to the AHL team and has requested a trade. Unwilling to go to the Milwaukee Admirals, it is not clear if the Predators are open to trading the netminder.
Both Juuse Saros and veteran Scott Wedgewood appear to be ahead of Askarov on the Predators’ depth chart and after Saros was signed to a long-term extension ($7.74 million per season until 2033) it became clear Askarov was not likely to get the starting job anytime soon.
Landeskog Could Return Near Start of Season
Tom Gulitti of NHL.com writes, “Gabriel Landeskog isn’t expected to be ready for the start of the regular season, but it’s possible it won’t be too long after that he will back in uniform for the Colorado Avalanche.”
Avalanche coach Jared Bednar told media on Saturday that the team is really excited about that prospect as Landeskog hasn’t played for the Avs in two years.
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