REPORT: Edmonton Oilers close to TRADING for a new defenceman

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Ryan
January 11, 2023 (11:56)

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Despite having the best and arguably the second best player in the league, who are dominating the league when it comes to points, the Edmonton Oilers are very close to falling out of a playoff spot. They currently hold the second wild card position, but are tied with the St. Louis Blues in points, and only have 1 point on the Nashville Predators who have played 3 less games.

While they have some reinforcements in Evander Kane coming to help soon, this team needs some serious help. The Oilers made the Western Conference Finals last year and thought all they were missing was a true #1 goaltender to become a Cup winning team. Well, after signing Jack Campbell this past offseason, it has been a complete bust. Luckily for them, Stuart Skinner has emerged and has played fairly well this season to pick up the slack.

According to Hockey 24/7 though, the Edmonton Oilers are working on and close to making a trade with the Montreal Canadiens.

A deal is close between Edmonton and Montreal. The deal would be Drouin and Edmundson to Edmonton and yes Edmundson would be playing in Edmonton. #oilers #GoHabsGo    #edmundsoninedmonton

Hearing goaltender Olivier Rodrigue, prospect Tyler Tullio and a 2023 first round pick.

Deal would be almost done, Holland would like to make the pick top 3 protected but MTL's front office are pushing to make it unprotected.

More details to come� William Leblanc (@xwleblancx) January 11, 2023

The Oilers are in desperate need for a shutdown defenceman and also some depth scoring, which both of these players would provide. Edmundson is a great shut down defenceman, and Drouin who has a lot of talent, needs a fresh start in a new environment. Drouin could be a game changer, as he has the skill to produce 20+ goals and 50+ points and could be just what the Oilers are looking for.

While the post above does not mention Jesse Puljujärvi in the trade, I don't see it getting done without him being added to the deal due to salary cap reasons.