Brace yourselves Oilers fans.
The incredibly unlikely and almost unthinkable has, at the very least, been discussed within the Edmonton front office - a Taylor Hall trade scenario.
Now, before you go flying out of your chairs or start furiously typing out a witty rebuke of this report, take a look at who said it - none other than Elliotte Freidman of Sportsnet.ca.
Friedman, while appearing on Toronto Sportsnet 590, as transcribed by NicholsOnHockey.com, said that he has "no doubt" they've at least tested the depths of the waters when it comes to trading Hall, but that ultimately, the deal would only get done if the return were absolutely astounding.
"...Because I think if they're trading Taylor Hall, and I have no doubt they've dipped their toe in that, it's for a return where they can say, 'Wow.'
"They know the worst thing they can do right now is lose a trade like that - make a trade where you trade Taylor Hall or Eberle or anybody else and it looks to you like, 'What exactly did we get here?'"
This, per Friedman, is the exact attitude that has kept the Oilers from getting any deals done for any of their supposedly available assets.
"That's why I think Perron, for example, hasn't been traded. They've been working on trading him for a long time. I don't think he gets you enough of what Edmonton needs, but I do think they're looking at it like, 'We're not just going to give him away.' They could have traded him," Friedman said. "But they couldn't get what they wanted. And there are teams out there who have said, 'Edmonton has asked for too much for what Perron is really worth,' but I think that shows you what their mindset is -- 'If we're doing it, we're not just doing it for the sake of doing it.'"
It's a smart strategy on paper for Edmonton to only give up their high quality assets for real value in return. But for an organization currently living in the NHL basement with no clear indication that that status will change anytime soon, a move - even one that provides slightly less value than they'd hoped for - could make sense.
Then again, trading Hall without getting an absolute bounty in return doesn't.
