Oilers rumors: Edmonton could trade a defenseman amid logjam
The Edmonton Oilers have worked hard to become a defensively tougher squad over the last couple of seasons. Their efforts have yet to translate to a Stanley Cup, as they fell to the Florida Panthers two years in a row, but the blue line has become an important component of this Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl-led squad. Though, the additional depth may force general manager Stan Bowman to
NHL insider Elliotte Friedman highlighted the plethora of defensivemen the Oilers currently have on their roster, which is even more noticeable following Jake Walman’s heroic season debut on Tuesday night. He acknowledged the possibility of the organization trading one of them in order to avoid
Bradley Keith of Pro Hockey Rumors believes one of Ty Emberson, Alec Regula and Troy Stecher could be dealt ahead of the March 6 NHL trade deadline.
Oilers could have the flexibility to make something happen
Stecher has plenty of mileage on him at 31 years old, but he has proven adept in his first two seasons with Edmonton. His decade’s worth of experience could be too valuable for Bowman to ship out. Former third-round draft picks Regula and Emberson are both 25 years of age and could have more long-term upside to offer. The Oilers have much to weigh as they try to win the Western Conference for a third consecutive campaign.
Since McDavid signed a team-friendly contract extension, the front office must operate with a proactive mindset. Trading a defensive talent for another potential contributor could help Edmonton become a more well-rounded unit. Time will tell what Bowman thinks is the right course of action to take.
In the meanwhile, it is good to see the Jake Walman extension pay immediate dividends. The veteran blue-liner scored the decisive goal in Tuesday’s 3-2 overtime victory versus the Ottawa Senators. He will not have to worry about hearing his name in the rumor mill, but others may still have to earn their spot on the Oilers.
Chicago Bulls predicted to have All-Star after surprising upset win
The Chicago Bulls had an unenviable opening matchup: the Detroit Pistons without Coby White. Yet, Chicago pulled out a win and surprised everyone. They looked pretty great in doing so. In fact, the team looked so good that one insider is ready to say that this team will have an All-Star this year, and it’s not even clear which player that will be.
Chicago Bulls could have multiple All-Star-level players this season
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The natural All-Star candidate is second-year forward Matas Buzelis. He has limitless potential and started to really look good in preseason. That, plus the unknown factor of Buzelis, meant that he was a likely All-Star candidate, and through one game, that’s been the case. However,
“Even without Coby White, the Bulls opened their season with a 115-111 win over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday. And three different players were a big part of the upset,” Bailey wrote. “Buzelis had 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting and blocked three shots for good measure. Two-time All-Star Nikola Vučević had 28 points and 14 boards.”
Everyone looked pretty great, but the combination of a hot finish to 2024-25 and a really solid opening night suggests that one player is the most likely to get an All-Star nod. “But the likeliest All-Star might be Josh Giddey, who closed his 2024-25 averaging 20.8 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 9.6 assists over his last 18 games and had 19 points and 11 assists on Wednesday,” Bailey continued. “If he keeps stacking up lines like that, and the Bulls are around .500 when All-Star picks are made, he could sneak in.”
Regardless, the fact that Chicago won without White, who could also generate All-Star buzz himself, is impressive. Doing it in such a manner that it’s not clear who the best player on the team will be this season is an even bigger win, and it suggests that all the talk of another mediocre season in the windy city may be totally overblown. For at least one night, things are really looking up for the Bulls, which has been a long time coming.
