More and more players scratching Oilers off no-trade list
Longtime Edmonton Oilers fans know the stigma the franchise has carried: it’s a tough place to play, and perhaps a harder place to get players to be excited to come to.
Whether it’s the harsh Alberta winters, the rabid fanbase, or the strong expectations year in and year out from the local and national media, the franchise has been stricken for years as a place few players put at the top of their free agent and trade lists.
But that appears to be changing, due in no small part to the team’s recent run to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final as well as the emergence of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl as the league’s top 1-2 duo.
On Friday morning, Sportsnet put out the first episode of 32 Thoughts with Elliotte Friedman and his new co-host, Kyle Bukauskas, with more than two hours of opinions and news nuggets about the happenings around the NHL.
In the episode, Friedman reported that “Edmonton is coming off the list of places people don’t wanna go,” suggesting that the longtime stigma about the city has been shifting around the NHL.
The Oilers have made the playoffs in each of the last five seasons and have won six playoff series over the last three years. While their Stanley Cup drought still extends back to 1990, multiple players appear to believe Edmonton has as good a shot as anyone to lift the trophy in the near future.
“I heard from some agents who told me that there were players who took Edmonton off their no-trade lists… Players, right now, they think they can win in Edmonton,” Friedman said.
This summer, the Oilers added free agents Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson and will no doubt be active in the trade market should the team look like a contender throughout the season.