It seems that the Edmonton Oilers were keeping an eye on two elite, top-six forwards before this Friday’s NHL Trade Deadline. According to NHL insiders, general manager Ken Holland seems to have changed course in his pursuit of both. According to reports, Edmonton was making a strong push for Pavel Buchnevich of the St. Louis Blues and Jake Guentzel of the Pittsburgh Penguins. It seems the Oilers are out unless something changes.
According to reports, if St. Louis decides to transfer Buchnevich, they expect a huge return. The Oilers are not willing to pay the asking price for assets, but the team is willing to cooperate on reducing the salary cap. Pierre LeBrun claims in The Athletic that
Buchnevich has a contract for an average of $5.8 million per year through the following season. It would likely be necessary for the Blues to retain, and I believe they are willing to do so. I simply don’t understand why contending teams that can rent players for less money, like the Edmonton Oilers or Vegas Golden Knights, will have to spend this sort of money for a top-six forward. As it stands, my impression is that teams think the fee is excessively high.
