Oilers reportedly have a Blue Jackets defenceman on their radar
There's no question that the Edmonton Oilers are on the look out for some help on the blue line and general manager Ken Holland will been scouring the market leading up to the trade deadline on March 3rd.
In his recent '32 Thoughts' article, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman said that the Edmonton Oilers are interested in Columbus Blue Jackets defenceman Vladislav Gavrikov.
"Think Vladislav Gavrikov is another defenceman on Edmonton's radar. But if you look at the returns Columbus received for David Savard and Montreal for Ben Chiarot, you know these prices are going to be high." Friedman said.
As Friedman mentioned, in the past couple of years, the price for rental defenceman has gone through the roof. In April 2021, the Blue Jackets were able to get a first-round pick and a third-round pick in a three-way trade with Detroit and Tampa Bay.
Then back in March, the Montreal Canadiens received a 2023 first-round pick, 2022 fourth-round pick and prospect Ty Smilanic from the Florida Panthers in exchange for Ben Chiarot.
With the Blue Jackets having a poor season thus far, general manager Jarmo Kekalainen would certainly like to add another first-round pick, especially with how deep this year's draft is.
Gavrikov, 27, is in the final year of a three-year contract and is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st. In 32 games this season, the Yaroslavl native has nine points (two goals, seven assists), 18 penalty minutes and is a minus-three.
Source: Elliotte Friedman - 32 Thoughts
Top 10 latest hockey stories
