Could Evander Kane’s knee surgery turn the Oilers into a major buyer at the March 7 trade deadline? What’s the latest on the Islanders? Find out in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.
OILERS COULD BE MAJOR BUYERS IF EVANDER KANE GOES ON LTIR
EDMONTON JOURNAL: David Staples wonders if Evander Kane’s knee surgery could signal a major move by the Edmonton Oilers before the March 7 trade deadline.
Kane’s recovery period is four to eight weeks, postponing his rehab for last fall’s abdominal surgery. PuckPedia noted if the 33-year-old winger is sidelined for the rest of the regular season, the Oilers can put him on long-term injury reserve, enabling them to exceed the salary cap by $5.1 million.
Edmonton Oilers winger Evander Kane (NHL Images).
Oilers general manager Stan Bowman said the club will wait and see how things go with Kane’s recovery and rehab. They’re not yet certain when he’ll be able to return.
The Oilers’ depleted prospect and draft pick pools leave them with limited trade capital. However, they do have second and third-round picks from the St. Louis Blues as compensation for signing Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg to offer sheets last August.
Staples also examined where the Oilers should spend that windfall if Kane goes on LTIR to the end of the regular season. He believes they need a forward and a defenseman capable of making players and throwing hits. They could go after a second-pairing blueliner and a third-line winger.
Meanwhile, Jim Matheson reports the Oilers are among several teams interested in Pittsburgh Penguins rearguard Marcus Pettersson. He doesn’t see the Oilers parting with prospect forwards Matthew Savoie and Sam O’Reilly.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Oilers could attempt a big splash in the trade pool if Kane goes on LTIR. However, their lack of tradeable assets will make it difficult to use that cap flexibility to address those needs raised by Staple.
Waiting a month to determine Kane’s fate is for the best as that could also increase the number of suitable options in the trade market. That could improve the Oilers’ chances of finding a couple of decent targets despite their limited trade chips.
ISLANDERS ARE NOT SELLERS YET
NEW YORK POST: Ethan Sears reports Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello isn’t waving the white flag on the season yet.
Pending free agents like Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri would be logical trade candidates if the Isles become sellers. However, Lamoriello hasn’t reached that point yet with the deadline about two months away.
“Where we are in the season and where we are in the standings, where everything’s in reach, that’s the focus,” said Lamoriello. The Islanders are five points out of the final Eastern Conference wild-card berth. He refused to get into questions about hypothetical trade scenarios or the risk of Nelson and Palmieri departing as free agents in July.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Lamoriello sounds like he’ll only sell if the Isles drop far behind in the playoff race by March 7. It’ll be interesting to see what he does once the calendar flips to March.