Pacific Notes: Eberle, Tryamkin, Ducks

It has been a struggle in recent weeks for Oilers right winger Jordan Eberle.  He has been held goalless in his last 12 games and has recently been dropped to the third line.  As a result, the trade speculation has started to swirl once again, something that has been quite common for Eberle in recent years.  Speaking with TSN Radio 1260 in Edmonton, TSN’s Darren Dreger expects teams to start inquiring on his availability.  However, he expects the price to remain quite high (transcription via Fan Rag’s Chris Nichols):

“The ask for Jordan Eberle has always been high, understandably so, because he’s been one of the Edmonton Oilers’ players that is a big part of the core. But if he’s no longer that, even on a short-term basis, that’s going to ignite some kind of short-term market. But that doesn’t mean the Oilers are any more willing to trade him, unless the value is there.”

Eberle has two more years remaining on his contract after this season with a cap hit and salary of $6MM.  With his offensive track record (20+ goals in four of the last five years), there’s sure to be some interest throughout the league though the Oilers would most likely have to take a sizable contract back in return given the cap crunch many teams are facing.

Elsewhere around the Pacific:

• Earlier this season, Canucks defenseman Nikita Tryamkin refused to report to the AHL, even for a brief conditioning assignment. Considering how he has played since getting into the lineup on November 3rd, Jason Botchford of the Vancouver Province argues that the controversial decision was the right one all along.  Since that first game, he has yet to be scratched since and has fit in nicely on Vancouver’s third pairing while head coach Willie Desjardins has praise for his improvement when it comes to his fitness.
• Is the glass half full or half empty in Anaheim? Heading into their midway game of the season, there have been quite a few struggles along the way, as Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register notes.  They’ve won just two of ten games that have made it to overtime (both coming in the shootout), their goaltending has been up and down, while Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry have both struggled to put the puck in the net, combining for just 12 goals.  Despite all that, they find themselves tied for first in the division with San Jose and find themselves seven points ahead of where they were in the standings through 40 games last season.