The Edmonton Oilers haven't done much in the way of enacting trades so far this season, but with the NHL trade deadline rapidly approaching, it sure sounds like first-year GM Peter Chiarelli is hot on the trail of some deals. Per Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, the Oilers and Chiarelli are a team to watch.
Friedman: "This is what I heard last week. Watch Edmonton. I think there's a lot of people that could end up going there." #Oilers
— Chris Nichols (@NicholsOnHockey) February 22, 2016
But Chiarelli won't just be bringing people in - he'll also be shipping them out. One such player is defenseman Justin Schultz, who Friedman believes has "no future" in Edmonton.
"I think they'll offload Justin Schultz," Friedman said Monday, while appearing on Edmonton's TSN 1260, via Today's Slap Shot. "There appears to be some interest in him. We've talked about that before. He's got no future with the Oilers, it's as simple as that.
"I get the feeling, and I could be wrong here, the only reason he's even in games lately is because they feel the need to put him in games to showcase him for a trade."
No matter what happens at the deadline, the Oilers blueline is going to look much different sooner rather than later. Andrew Ference has already stated his likely plan to call it quits on the NHL if the Oilers do the same to him this offseason by buying out his contract. Nikita Nikitin, long a player the team was said to be attempting to trade, is an unrestricted free agent and unlikely to return whether he's dealt or not.
And Schultz is in the same boat. While Schultz is still just 25, his rapid ascension to the big club after signing in Edmonton and his lack of development, possibly as a result, has put both sides in a situation where a clean break seems best.
Unfortunately for the Oilers, as Friedman notes, Schultz's value isn't high at the moment. Keeping him on the ice these days will only do so much to entice someone to offer up something of worth. But then again, trading him now is likely less about the return and more about getting something, anything for a player who long ago wore out his welcome.
