NHL Rumors: Edmonton Oilers open to trading fourth overall pick
The Edmonton Oilers are open to the possibility of trading the fourth overall pick of the 2016 NHL Draft.
Despite what many thought before this season, yes, it is possible for a team not named the Edmonton Oilers to win the NHL Draft Lottery. With the new system, Edmonton had three chances to be in the top three and missed all of them. Since they were the worst team in the NHL to not get a top three pick, they have been assigned the fourth overall pick. As general manager Peter Chiarelli has vaguely suggested throughout his brief tenure in Edmonton, he is open to trading the fourth overall pick if it helps him improve his team.
“There’s a real legitimate chance to look to move this pick, to improve our team,” said Chiarelli, via the Edmonton Journal, “to get bigger or to get a [defenseman] and get something else.”
Should the Oilers decide to trade the fourth overall pick, one has to assume that it will be for a defenseman. Edmonton’s blue line is very weak and that’s an area that must be improved if Edmonton wants to take advantage of having skilled forwards like Connor McDavid and Taylor Hall.
Expect them to check in St. Louis Blues defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk, who might wind up being a casualty of the salary cap this summer. The Anaheim Ducks have a surplus of defensemen with several of them expecting huge raises this summer as restricted free agents. Sami Vatanen would make sense for them. Edmonton previously expressed interest to New York Islanders defenseman Travis Hamonic, so those talks could reignite in the next month or so.