The Edmonton Oilers are back in the trade rumor mill, this time with Boston Bruins forward Michael Eyssimont.
Eyssimont hit the waiver wire on Sunday, October 4th.
“Cleared. Eyssimont (BOS) & Giles (SJ) on waivers,” NHL insider Elliotte Friedman shared on Sunday.
Now, recent comments on his 32 Thoughts podcast suggest that the Oilers are potential suitors to acquire Eyssimont.
Oilers Are Interested in Depth Forwards, Does That Make Michael Eyssimont a Target?
On Saturday night, Friedman took to his Saturday Headlines to share some information regarding the Oilers’ trade interests.
“”(The Oilers) have a lot of D and some forward injuries. They have explored a lateral trade — maybe a defenceman for a forward,” Friedman said via Sportsnet. “Their forwards are not out long-term, so it’s not like they’re panicked to do it. But if there is a lateral D for forward move they can make with their depth players, they will look at it.”
Friedman added to that fire with his most recent podcast episode.
“They are looking for depth forwards,” Friedman shared on the October 5th episode. “They’ve got a lot of banged-up guys. Savoie entered the season hurt, now you can add Hyman is hurt. Other guys have been hurt. So I know they are looking at someone like an Eyssimont. So, depending on the contract situation, we’d see how they felt.”
“I wonder if some teams wait if this happens on waivers first, so they know the player is waiver-eligible. And I don’t know if Boston would be interested in one of the depth defensemen on the Edmonton roster. But the Oilers would prefer to move one of their depth D’s.”
Does Eyssimont Make Sense For The Oilers?
Now that we have established that the Oilers are looking for depth forwards, and Eyssimont appears to be available (given that he is on waivers), does he make sense as an addition for the Oilers?
The 30-year-old forward has played for the Winnipeg Jets, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Seattle Kraken before landing with the Bruins.
Eyssimont is a tough customer, collecting 261 penalty minutes in 269 career games. Additionally, he recorded 54 hits in 56 games for the Bruins last year, despite only playing a shade less than 11 minutes a game.
Throw in the secondary offense he produces (eight goals and 10 assists last year), and you have a solid third- or fourth-liner for a Stanley Cup contender.
However, the issue then becomes salary. Eyssimont is set to earn $1.45 million this year and next year (for a total of $2.9 million). That means the Oilers would need to cough up a player earning around the same in a trade for Eyssimont.
That could be one of Ty Emberson ($1.3 million) or Spencer Stastney ($1.525 million).
One way or another, look for the Oilers to stay in the conversation when it comes to tweaking their roster to look more and more like a team that will win the 2027 Stanley Cup.
Oilers Interested In Bruins Recently Waived $2.9 Million Forward