What Will the Edmonton Oilers do Next?

December 16, 2014   Edmonton Oilers, Trade Rumors   2,097 views

hall

There must be a lot on Oilers general manager Craig MacTavish’s mind right now. With a season that only gets more and more embarrassing for Edmonton each game it plays, the Oilers can’t afford to stay idle. Something must be done, a firing, a hiring, or a trade.

MacTavish’s first big move was to sack head coach Dallas Eakins after the Oilers lost 16 of their last 17 games. He followed that up by naming himself as the team’s interim coach. MacTavish will remain the team’s head coach until Todd Nelson of Edmonton’s American Hockey League affiliate team in Oklahoma City becomes ready to take the reins. These moves have raised suspicions that there are more changes to be made in the coming days for Edmonton. This begs us to ask the obvious: what’s next for the god-awful franchise that has a next to impossible shot at making the playoffs? NHL betting site topbet.eu has the Oilers priced at +50,000 to win the Stanley Cup – the longest odds in the league.

Perhaps the biggest rumor circulating around the team is the possibility of Taylor Hall being traded. The idea that the 2010 NHL Draft’s top pick will be traded has been going around for some time now but it reached its crescendo when TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger talked about the Oilers’ in a with TSN Radio. Apparently, Hall’s work ethic and bad influence in terms of locker room culture haven’t gone unnoticed, and MacTavish could be brewing a trade involving the team’s top scorer.

If that speculation is true, then Hall will likely be baited in the market in exchange for a goalie. The Oilers have been a mess on defense, as they have carved up residences near the bottom of many defensive statistics, including goals against per game (3.3).

Hall, though, isn’t the only hot name in the Oilers’ roster. Other top-tier talents that have been in trade discussions among hockey insiders are Nail Yakupov, or Jordan Eberle. Regardless of what happens, it will be a long road to contention for the Oilers, and there’s never been a better time to start the shake up.