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A Thought On A Friday - Oilers and Leafs as Trading Partners |
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Edmonton has doesn't play again until tomorrow so in the meantime I hope you all enjoy the end of your work week and ponder this.
There have been some rumblings as of late that Edmonton might be looking at Toronto for opportunities to improve their forward depth. The Leafs are in need of additional help on the back-end as well as potentially looking for another goalie with the recent injury to Frederik Andersen.
Edmonton may have two players that could be of help to what could likely be a long playoff run for Toronto; Cam Talbot and Darnell Nurse.
Talbot, though he has struggled over the past couple of seasons has proven that he is a more than capable starter, providing he has a talented team in front of him. While he does have a 4.1 million dollar cap hit, he is also a free agent after this season, making him a good rental player. Cam is a guy who could help shoulder some games while Andersen recovers, and if need be could provide starts worthy of a #1 goaltender.
Darnell Nurse meanwhile would be a tough player to trade, considering how depleted the Oilers defence is. Nurse has had a mixed season with highs and lows. On paper, he is close to being on pace for a 40 points season and is one goal away from tying his previous career high. On the other hand there have been defensive issues with his game, most notably the amount of times he is caught missing his man while a goal is scored in the slot.
The player I would be targeting in Toronto; Kasperi Kapanen.
A deal centred around Kapanen for Nurse makes sense for both sides. Darnell Nurse is a top 4 defender who is signed at a solid bridge deal into 2020 for 3.2 million dollars and after will remain an RFA. Kapanen meanwhile is currently playing on Toronto’s third line, has gone 14-11-25 in 40 games this season and has proven to be successful both with and away from elite players. As always I am a staunch supporter of scoring at even strength which is where 96% of Kapanen’s points have been scored.
When healthy, the Oilers lineup could look like this:
RNH-McDavid-Chiasson
Rieser-Draisaitl-Kapanen
Spooner-Khaira-Puljujarvi
Lucic-Brodziak-Kassian
Klefbom-Larsson
Jones-Russell
Manning-Benning
Petrovic
Koskinen
Montoya
The defense is still bad but that is the state the Oilers are in, they cant fix any hole without creating a new one.
Numbers would have to be worked out but let’s say Edmonton retained half of Talbot’s salary this season and offered Darnell Nurse for Kapanen and a third round pick. Is that enticing enough for both sides?
What say you Leafs and Oilers fans. Is there a fit here?
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • 
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