NHL Insider Reveals Price for Edmonton Oilers to Acquire Ivan Provorov in Trade

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Liam McCormick
November 22, 2024 (12:11)

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The Edmonton Oilers have been in the trade market for an upgrade all season, and now they know the cost to acquire one of their top targets, Ivan Provorov of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

According to a recent report from NHL insider Pierre LeBrun in the Athletic, the cost to acquire Provorov in trade will be a first round draft pick.

»They will most likely trade the pending UFA Provorov when the time is right, and the asking price will be a first-round pick. And they may not necessarily wait for March 7 if a team steps up with that first-round pick earlier.»
-Pierre LeBrun, The Athletic

Edmonton doesn't have a first round draft pick this season, but do have their picks to trade in 2025 and 2026. The Oilers have been linked to acquiring Provorov already this season.

If the Oilers do end up trading for Provorov, they'll likely have to pay a bit more than the first round draft pick to get Columbus or another team to retain some of his $4.725M salary cap hit.

Provorov is a reliable top four left shot defender, but he hasn't played to the best of his abilities through his career. Daily FaceOff's Frank Seravalli recently detailed the drop-off in Provorov's game.

After being drafted 7th overall and starting his career off incredibly well, Provorov's confidence seemed to fall off after his sophomore year - now only plays a conservative defensive game, instead of the puck moved he used to be.

The Vancouver Canucks are reportedly in the trade market and were linked to Penguins defenceman Marcus Pettersson, along with the Oilers. If the Canucks are in on Pettersson, they will likely be asking about Provorov as well - and they like to make early trades.

Although the Oilers been set on acquiring a defenceman all season, early results this season suggest that the defence may not even be the team's biggest concern - it may be goaltending instead.

If the Oilers decide that they do need to improve on having the worst goaltending in the NHL, that could shift their available resources away from acquiring a top defender like Provorov.

Potentially the Oilers are able to swing a deal for someone like Mackenzie Blackwood, a goalie that could come with under $2M in salary, which may give the Oilers more cap room to add on the blueline.

Tomorrow night, the Oilers will take on the New York Rangers, and then get a much-needed 5 day break until their next game. Hopefully the team takes this time to rest and recover, come back better, and evaluate what they need to add next.

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