One of the Edmonton Oilers storylines getting a close watch here on Heavy pertains to the “mystery center” named a few days ago by Darren Dreger.
There was one report in the Edmonton Journal positing that the aforementioned center could be Boston Bruins Matthew Poitras.
Now, there’s another data point revealing that the 22-year-old is the player in question.
During the latest edition of the 32 Thoughts Podcast, insider Elliotte Friedman revealed that the Oilers and Bruins have been talking about Poitras. However, the conversations may not have gotten very far, with one particular issue getting in the way.
“I think they were definitely interested in Poitras from Boston… I think Boston wanted more of a pick potentially for Poitras and I’m not so certain Edmonton wanted to do that.”
So, it seems that the Oilers had their eye on Poitras, but the price tag didn’t really line up. That price was a “pick,” but what sort of pick is Friedman talking about?
Could the Bruins have been asking for a first-round pick? If that’s the case, it makes sense that Edmonton would pass on the idea of trading for Poitras at this point. There’s no real business case that would justify giving up a first-rounder, which the Oilers have very few of, in a deal for what could be a bit of a reclamation project.
Oilers Pivoted to Hallander Instead
So, with the sticker price on Poitras just too high, the Oilers pivoted to Hallander. Edmonton wanted to add depth, and so they got a relatively cost-effective option in the former Pittsburgh Penguins forward. As Friedman pointed out, the move was a roster management situation for the Penguins.
“Filip Hallander, I’d heard Pittsburgh was looking to move a forward. They had too many forwards. I was a little surprised it was him, but they made the move.”
The comments essentially confirm that the Penguins just wanted to move out a forward amid a potential glut up front.
That was it.
Meanwhile, it seems that the Hallander trade could preclude any other move.
“One of the things I heard was the Oilers, if they were going to make a move, they were going to make the kind of move they did.”
Reading between the lines, Edmonton wasn’t going to make a big splash, at least not right now.
Poitras Deal Might Not Be Completely Dead
Ultimately, the Poitras deal seems dead in the water, at least between the Oilers and Bruins. However, there may still be a situation in which the deal happens. But if it does, it will be a while before it actually happens.
Since Boston has a high price tag on the former second-round pick now, the strategy for the Oilers might be to just wait and see what happens. Perhaps Boston gets tired of Poitras and decides to move him at a lower price point.
Maybe the desperation kicks up a little in Edmonton and they might be willing to overpay. The latter seems less likely than the former.
That’s why it might just be a matter of time before something actually gives.
Oilers Mystery Center Identity Revealed by Friedman