The New Jersey Devils and Columbus Blue Jackets pulled off only the second sign-and-trade deal in NHL history on Friday when the Devils sent defenseman Damon Severson to the Blue Jackets in exchange for a third-round pick in 2023. Severson was a player that might have been on the radar of the Edmonton Oilers this offseason, but certainly not at that price, $6.25 million for eight years.
Still, the idea of a sign-and-trade might have some appeal for the Oilers. General manager Ken Holland has to find creative ways to land players at an affordable rate, while potentially moving out pieces to make room on his roster. A sign-and-trade could help reduce the cost of a pending UFA, while also moving a contract, should the team making the deal be open to adding one.
Here are a few targets that would be intriguing for Edmonton, should a sign-and-trade be on the table.
Connor Brown (RW/LW)- Washington Capitals
Connor McDavid’s former winger, Connor Brown played with McDavid as part of the Erie Otters for two seasons. He’s a pending UFA who will potentially be leaving the Washington Capitals after an injury-plagued season and the Oilers might be interested in adding a player of his style. It’s not clear what he would cost considering the market is unknown after playing only four games during the 2022-23 season, but the Oilers could take the guesswork out of the equation and eliminate any possible free agency competition by trading for the forward and sending the Capitals a depth pick to facilitate the trade.
If the Oilers can talk to Washington and convince Brown to sign a “show-me deal”, then flip him to Edmonton for a fourth or fifth-round pick, everyone gets something out of the move. At just 29 years old, if he comes back healthy and is an effective player, he’ll likely have an extension waiting for him in Edmonton when the cap increases.
Alex Killorn (RW/LW)- Tampa Bay Lightning
If the Oilers can find a way to move Kailer Yamamoto, perhaps they could target a player like Alex Killorn out of Tampa Bay. Reports this week by Elliotte Friedman suggested the Lightning trade to offer Killorn an eight-year deal at a lower cap hit to stay and he declined. Speculation is that he could get around $5-$5.5 million over four years in free agency.
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Removing Yamamoto’s $3.1 million and finding a bit of space elsewhere, Killorn is a real upgrade in the top six for Edmonton on the right wing. If they could move a draft pick — maybe even Yamamoto to Tampa along with it — he would be an excellent fit. The Oilers have around $5.9 million in projected space with Yamamoto on the roster. They need to get Evan Bouchard signed, so this would be iffy. If Killorn would sign for five years and around $4.5 million per season, it would work better financially, but now you’re getting into the player being 38 years old at the end of his deal. That becomes the big risk here, especially as his production inevitably declines.
Vladimir Tarasenko (RW) – New York Rangers
Admittedly, Vladimir Tarasenko might be out of the Oilers’ price range for free agents as he’s projected to get somewhere around $5 million per season on a three-year deal, but what if the Oilers can get him cheaper by offering more years and flipping the New York Rangers a pick to avoid a free agency bidding war? By the time the salary cap jumps in a year or two, that cap hit won’t seem so arduous.
If Tarasenko isn’t sticking in New York because the team has cap concerns and they need to sign a number of their pending RFAs, could the Oilers get the 31-year-old at four seasons at $4.5 million per? Could they go even longer and secure his future in the NHL for five years at just over $4 million? Put him with the elite skill that’s already on this team and he’s a 20-plus goal scorer all four of those seasons.
If that doesn’t work, a potential backup plan might be Patrick Kane who is out for months following a hip procedure. He wants to return to the NHL, but it’s not entirely clear how many teams will be open to adding him based on his injury history. If the Rangers are out, maybe they can secure an asset in a sign-and-trade with Edmonton who could convince Kane to do a two-year deal to play a couple of seasons with Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl.
John Klingberg (D) – Minnesota Wild
There were rumors last season at the Edmonton Oilers might have been working a transaction with the Montreal Canadiens where the Habs would sign John Klingberg to a short-term deal and then flip him to the Oilers, with Montreal receiving a pick to retain a portion of the player’s salary. If Holland still likes the idea of Klingberg on this roster, it would be silly to rule out a similar conversation this summer.
Frank Seravalli has Klingberg projected to make about $4.6 million per season over three years. If the Canadiens retain $1.5 million or so of that, he becomes a $3 million defenseman for the Oilers on the right side.
