The Edmonton Oilers have glaring needs, and few means to fill them. Could trading Ryan Nugent-Hopkins help aid the Oilers woes?
Though Ryan Nugent-Hopkins may be the exact type of player the Edmonton Oilers should be trying to acquire, few enticing trade assets and ample holes to fill may leave him as one of the few significant pieces the next Oilers general manager can afford to move.
While previous Oilers transactions have seen former top picks and coveted assets sold at or near their lowest value, Nugent-Hopkins is on pace for career highs across the board. Also, he could afford Edmonton the opportunity to finally sell high on an asset.
Last time the organization traded a number one overall pick, it didn’t go so well, but the next Oilers GM does not have the luxury to repeat past mistakes. Any justification for them to move Nugent-Hopkins should be to get younger, faster, or cheaper (ideally all three), but any deal that does not achieve one of these goals should not be considered.
With that in mind, we take a look at some potential deals, should the Oilers choose to move Nugent-Hopkins.
Boston Bruins: RNH for David Backes and Charlie McAvoy
Despite what the organization is claiming, the Oilers are likely not a 2019 playoff team. Instead, they should be building for long term success. Acquiring a potential top pairing defenseman like Charlie McAvoy to add to an Oilers defensive core that is not as bad as one would expect could be exactly what they need. Players like McAvoy rarely come available in trade negotiations, but with rumours of the 21-year-old and the Bruins perhaps not seeing eye-to-eye, some injury struggles, and the Bruins clear need for the secondary scoring, this deal could certainly come to fruition.
On the surface, David Backes seems like a salary dump. However, the veteran forward could help facilitate the “culture change” nearly everyone who has discussed the Oilers in the past months has identified as necessary. Backes could help bolster one of the league’s worst power plays in Edmonton too.
The Oilers may have to send back a defenseman to entice the Bruins, but with a relatively cash-neutral deal, along with McAvoy, Brandon Carlo and other Bruins coming up on restricted free agency, this deal could help both teams either at the trade deadline or this offseason.
New Jersey Devils: RNH for Pavel Zacha, Damon Severson, 2019 Third Round Pick (Ducks)
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The Edmonton Oilers send a former top pick to the New Jersey Devils for a decent defenseman? Hear me out.
Pavel Zacha has bounced in and out of the Devils lineup. However, the 21-year-old forward is 6-foot-3 tall with good foot speed and an elite shot. Zacha is seemingly built for today’s NHL. Oilers fans could wince at another project forward who has yet to produce at the NHL level but he is clearly to good for the AHL.
Acquiring and developing Zacha on top of Damon Severson, a solid defenseman who is still only 24, could help fill out the next Oilers core. Severson is locked up at just over $4 million a year for the next four and a half seasons. Meanwhile, Zacha is a pending RFA unlikely to garner a significant raise, so the financials of this deal would also be relatively neutral.
Nugent-Hopkins fills a clear secondary scoring need for a Devils team that has struggled to score in one of the highest scoring NHL environments in recent memory. New Jersey has ample cap room to add him, especially with expected secondary scorer Marcus Johansson set to walk. Nugent-Hopkins could slot in either at center or left wing in the Devils top six. With the Devils currently sitting well into lottery territory, a shakeup like this would be more likely to occur this summer.
Montreal Canadiens: RNH and Milan Lucic for Karl Alzner, Andrew Shaw, Joel Armia
This move is certainly the least likely, but also certainly the most fun. It should include a warning for all Habs fans who would feel queasy at the sight of Lucic wearing a Montreal Canadiens jersey, but as crazy as the deal sounds, it just might make sense for both clubs.
While Montreal takes on Milian Lucic and his $6 million annual price tag for the next half-decade, they move on from their own failed contract in Karl Alzner’s $4.625 AAV cap hit until 2022.
Andrew Shaw is having a decent season in Montreal’s revamped offense, but the opportunity to acquire Nugent-Hopkins and unload Alzner’s deal in the same move could entice the Habs. Edmonton would be able to insert Shaw into the role Lucic was supposed to fill since signing his mega-deal, and hope Alzner could hold down a spot in their blueline rotation. The overall financials of the deal are detailed in the chart below.
Alzner and Lucic both have specific no-trade lists that could hinder any sort of move from ever becoming reality, but if both of these Canadian clubs were to figure things out, I wouldn’t be surprised to see either object to a change of scenery.
On the surface, it would be easy for both fan bases to be upset by this deal, but Montreal should consider weaponizing their cap-space to acquire a top player like Nugent-Hopkins and Edmonton should jump at any opportunity to rid themselves of Lucic’s deal.
Carolina Hurricanes: RNH for Dougie Hamilton
It is widely reported that the Hurricanes are looking to move one of their many defensemen for scoring help, with Sebastian Aho almost single-handily carrying the offensive load for a team set to miss the playoffs for the tenth straight season.
This transaction does not meet the criteria that the Oilers should be looking for, but with the Hurricanes looking for scoring and Dougie Hamilton potentially on the block for the third time in the last few seasons, it seems plausible Edmonton and Carolina line up.
Nino Niederreiter has stepped in quite nicely since coming over from Minnesota, but the Canes would certainly benefit from another top 6 forward like Nugent-Hopkins. Hamilton blossomed into a top pair defenseman in Calgary alongside Norris candidate Mark Giordano but has taken a step back since his move to the Hurricanes.
The Oilers would be taking a gamble that Dougie could return to the form he teased in his first stint in Alberta, but this move from a financial and age standpoint does not fit what the Oilers should first be looking for.