NHL Rumors: Oilers unlikely to trade Jordan Eberle

The Oilers are unlikely to trade forward Jordan Eberle before the trade deadline

The Edmonton Oilers have been reportedly exploring a variety of ways to upgrade their blue line. One of those ways was by trading forward Jordan Eberle for a proven defenseman such as Travis Hamonic, Sami Vatanen, or Kevin Shattenkirk.

Recently, Eberle has been playing so well with center Connor McDavid that Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet believes an Eberle trade is unlikely.

"“I thought there was a chance [Eberle] could be moved for a defenceman,” Freidman said, via Sportsnet. “I don’t think that’s going to happen. But the magic he has with Connor McDavid, I’m being told the Oilers are not going to be moving him before the deadline. So we can put all those rumors to bed.”"

Eberle has seven goals and three assists for ten points in his last six games. Coincidentally, that’s when McDavid returned from his broken clavicle. It’s hard to see the Oilers trade someone who is playing so well with their franchise centerpiece.

The Oilers future depends on McDavid. If the Oilers are smart, they’ll do everything in their power to put him in a position to succeed. Trading someone who he obviously has great chemistry with would not be a wise decision.

Edmonton was the dominant team of the 1980s with a host of Hall of Famers including Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Jari Kurri and Paul Coffey, but this decade has seen a reversal of fortune. The Oilers have been the league’s laughingstock, failing to make the playoff each year.