Evander Kane's Return From Injury May Force Oilers Into Trading a Surprising Forward
The Edmonton Oilers will have a wild card to this season when power forward Evander Kane returns from injury, but it may force the team to deal another forward.
According to a recent report from Oilers insider Bob Stauffer, Edmonton may need to deal a left winger to free up a lineup space for Kane when he returns. Stauffer mentioned Mattias Janmark as one possibility, and came just short of suggesting Jeff Skinner as well.
»One wild card is when Evander Kane returns. Does he push a guy on the left side out of the mix? Jeff Skinner's signed to a one year deal for 3 million bucks, Janmark 3 years. We'll see whether or not Skinner starts to evolve a bit more here in Edmonton.»
- Bob Stauffer, OilersNow
- Bob Stauffer, OilersNow
To hear Stauffer even mention Skinner as a possibility for trade is extremely interesting. Skinner has played well and got plenty of offensive chances in his short time with the Oilers, but has only put up 2 goals and 5 points in 11 games, while being moved to the third line. Janmark on the other hand has term on his contract, and me be better suited to playing a third and fourth line role than Skinner.
If the Oilers end up not too happy with the production and play from Jeff Skinner, they likely wouldn't have a tough time trading him. The 32 year old veteran winger has played over 1000 games and is on a bargain contract of just $3M. If he scores he could have a great season with the Oilers, but some are beginning to be concerned about his fit on the team.
It would be a gutsy move to move Jeff Skinner after signing him to such a bargain deal, but replacing him with a healthy Evander Kane maybe wouldn't be a bad deal. The spotlight will now be on for Skinner to step up and start scoring, or he may not make the playoffs for the first time in his career.
| POLL | ||
Do you think the Oilers will trade a forward away this year? | ||
| Yes, they could move a forward | 81 | 58.3 % |
| No, they'll keep their veteran forwards | 48 | 34.5 % |
| See Results | 10 | 7.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
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