NHL: Edmonton Oilers Pursuing Travis Hamonic Trade With Islanders, 'May Want It More' Than Anyone Else, Per Report

New York Islanders GM Garth Snow feels no "pressure" to get a deal done. Travis Hamonic is willing to play out the season, if need be, in New York. And yet, trade talk concerning the big blueliner continues to swirl. As of Thursday afternoon's NHL insider reports, it sure sounds like the Edmonton Oilers and GM Peter Chiarelli are the hottest on the trail of Hamonic.

TSN's Bob McKenzie said Thursday afternoon that the Oilers "might want it more than anybody else right now." While that's not a clear indication that Chiarelli is inviting Snow into the Oilers locker room and telling him to take a look around and see if anything catches his eye, the other reports emerging Thursday seem to suggest that if there's a team within Hamonic's reported geographic preferences that can get the deal done and, more importantly, is willing to pull off a trade, it's the Oilers.

ESPN's Pierre LeBrun reported that after having conversations with a number of teams in the league over the last day or so, Snow's asking price for Hamonic is high.

No surprise there. Hamonic is 25 and signed to a deal that carries a term of four more seasons at an AAV of $3.875 million. He's a top-pairing defender who can chip in offensively. He'll immediately upgrade the defense of any team he joins.

But pulling off a deal will be difficult.

The Winnipeg Jets, said to be Hamonic's No. 1 destination due to its close proximity to Manitoba, where his family resides, has the assets, as McKenzie notes, but may not have the fit to make it work. They already acquired a big young blueliner in Tyler Myers. As Ken Campbell of The Hockey News notes, Jacob Trouba could be an option, but it's hard to envision Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff giving up on the 19-year-old so quickly, or Snow accepting Trouba in exchange for an already-established player like Hamonic.

Snow, despite being the seller with a very strong product in this situation, seems to be operating from a position of weakness. Hamonic's availability is widely known and his preferred list of destinations is reportedly comprised of just four teams. While that would seem to increase the Oilers' chances of landing Hamonic, it may actually only worsen them.

Per LeBrun, the Isles may now be exploring options with U.S.-based team. The Minnesota Wild have been discussed as a possible landing spot for Hamonic.

In the end, the Oilers seem to be trying and may be at the forefront of negotiations, but at this point, it sounds like there's much more waiting and talking to be done. There's also the question of whether Chiarelli would be willing to surrender a player like Oscar Klefbom in exchange for Hamonic. Snow has reportedly made it clear that he's not looking for picks or prospects and wants an equal-level player to Hamonic back in any deal.

Klefbom, 22, with three goals and seven assists already this season, is no small ask. Is he worth a more well-established, but less offensively gifted player like Hamonic?

Tags

NHL, Edmonton oilers, New york islanders, Peter chiarelli