According to veteran Oilers insider Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal, Dave Tippett is safe for now. That won't satisfy Oilers supporters who want Tippett gone, but Matheson believes it's best to keep him there. I'll argue with Matheson here, but that's very standard. Matheson, who perfected his skill with the 1980s Oilers powerhouse, seems terribly out of touch with the present NHL.
Given that Matheson is still well connected (maybe too well connected) within the Oilers organisation, his reports are probably certainly accurate. In his recent essay for the Edmonton Journal, Matheson links the team to three trade targets: Evander Kane of the San Jose Sharks, Dylan Strome of the Chicago Blackhawks and Jake DeBrusk of the Edmonton Oilers.
«Teams have little to no cap room (so it's dollar in, dollar out) or they are offering players like McDavid's former junior teammate Dylan Strome (Chicago), who makes $3-million, or Evander Kane, who has his myriad of issues.
Bruins winger Jake DeBrusk probably would help, but unless Oilers could convince him to re-up for several years in the $3-million range after the season, they aren't qualifying him at $4.85 million salary to keep his rights. So he would be an unrestricted free-agent.»
«The Oilers have precious few assets to move. Maybe defenceman Dmitry Samorukov because Markus Niemelainen may have passed him by. They aren't trading Jesse Puljujarvi or Evan Bouchard obviously or most likely Philip Broberg in the minors. Dylan Holloway is a non-starter because they have no blue-chip prospect forwards on the farm. Maybe first-rounder Xavier Bourgault, still playing junior, or their 2022 first-round pick.
