While it has long been assumed that the Oilers would have to trade center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins following the long-term, big money contracts handed out to Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl earlier this summer, GM Peter Chiarelli told TSN’s Bob McKenzie (video link) that this is far from a guarantee.
“I know that’s the speculation following signing Connor and Leon. At the end of the day, you can’t put all of that money into three lines, into three centers. You can’t. It won’t work. But having said that, we’ve had success with Leon on the wing. And if you look at models – and we’ve looked at them – for two lines, you can have that money on two lines.”
McDavid and Draisaitl will count for $21MM on Edmonton’s salary cap beginning in 2018-19 (McDavid remains on his entry-level contract this season). Nugent-Hopkins enters 2017-18 with four years remaining on his deal at $6MM per and while the Oilers have plenty of cap room to fit him in this season, there’s bound to be a big squeeze next year, particularly with winger Milan Lucic signed through 2022-23 at $6MM as well. Whether it’s Nugent-Hopkins or someone else, someone notable will have to be on the way out before the puck drops on 2018-19.
More from the West:
- As the Sedin twins enter the final years of their contracts, some have speculated that they could be dealt if Vancouver is out of it at the deadline. In an interview with Sportsnet’s John Shannon (Twitter link), team president Trevor Linden put an end to that, stating that the duo won’t be dealt. Both players have spent their entire NHL careers with the Canucks and carry no-move clauses with a $7MM cap charge.
- After undergoing multiple hip surgeries last season, Avalanche goaltender Semyon Varlamov has fully recovered and has been skating since late July, notes Mike Chambers of the Denver Post. The 29-year-old is coming off of the worst statistical season of his NHL career and played in just 24 games as a result of the lingering groin issues. Despite the struggles, Colorado clearly still has confidence in him as they elected to protect him from the Golden Knights in expansion.