NHL insider lists Edmonton Oilers as possible Panarin trade destination
Are the Edmonton Oilers cooking up a major trade ahead of this year’s trade deadline?
Last year, it was rumoured that Oilers GM Stan Bowman made a healthy run at superstar Mikko Rantanen before he was traded to the Dallas Stars. That is the type of home run swing that hasn’t been made in Edmonton since the team acquired Mattias Ekholm at the 2023 deadline.
It sounds like the Oilers could be trying to make a similar swing at this deadline, but this time with Artemi Panarin. NHL insider David Pagnotta reported on Monday that the Oilers are among the teams that the Russian superstar could accept a trade to without an extension in place.
“I do believe that if there is an opportunity to chase a Stanley Cup as a pure rental, if no other options present themselves, I think Colorado, Dallas, and Edmonton would be teams [Panarin] would consider accepting a deal to as a rental,” Pagnotta said on the OilersNation Everyday show.
The preference from the New York Rangers and Panarin would be to have an extension in place wherever he ends up, but if that doesn’t come to fruition, there is a chance he is traded to a team as a pure rental. It did not sound like the Oilers were among the teams in the running to land Panarin with an extension.
Pagnotta went on to say that he isn’t aware of any Panarin trade conversations between the Oilers and Rangers, but the fact that Edmonton could be a destination is fascinating.
Panarin would, obviously, be a massive addition to this Oilers forward group and would likely slot in beside Connor McDavid and Zach Hyman on Edmonton’s top line. The Oilers are in the market for a top-six scoring winger, so the fit makes all sorts of sense. That being said, there are a few potential red flags with this possible trade.
Edmonton is operating with very little cap space right now ($425,000 as of Monday), and fitting in Panarin’s $11.6 million cap hit (even with 50 per cent retained) feels near impossible. The other issue is what the Rangers are asking for in return.
Pagnotta seemed to shrug off the idea of Ike Howard, Edmonton’s top prospect, being enough of a centre piece to persuade the Rangers. The problem is that there isn’t a lot left in the prospect cupboards to offer after Howard, making it unlikely that the Oilers have the kind of assets to acquire Panarin in the first place.
The Oilers’ Stanley Cup window is wide-open and this would be the type of game-changing trade to help them get over that hump.