The Oilers are kicking tires on Bruins forward Mikey Eyssimont, and Edmonton would rather pay for him with a depth defenceman.
Elliotte Friedman reported this morning on 32 Thoughts that Edmonton is hunting for depth forwards as injuries pile up. Nothing is imminent.
The most obvious hole belongs to Zach Hyman. The veteran winger is listed day-to-day with an undisclosed issue and isn't expected back until at least Oct. 17.
That's a big chunk of October for a guy who has dressed only once this season. Edmonton plays four games before that date.
Eyssimont makes sense on paper. He put up 18 points in 56 games with Boston last season.
The price fits too. He carries a $1,450,000 cap hit through 2026-27 before hitting unrestricted free agency.
Compare that to Ty Emberson at $1,300,000, a blueliner who has dressed once in three games. Swap contracts like those and Stan Bowman barely touches the cap.
Edmonton's real problem is sitting in the crease
Here's where it gets uncomfortable. A depth winger doesn't plug the leak that's actually flooding the room.
Edmonton has allowed 14 goals in three games. Devon Levi is carrying an .81 save percentage despite winning both of his starts.
Tristan Jarry has been worse, sitting at .739 through two appearances. That's the number that should keep Mike Babcock up at night.
The skaters are bailing everyone out. Edmonton is scoring 5.7 goals per game, which is the only way you go 2-0-1 with that kind of goaltending.
Connor McDavid already has nine points. Evan Bouchard has chipped in four goals from the blue line, which is absurd for October.
Down the lineup, it thins out fast. Colton Dach and Max Jones have no points between them, and each went minus-4.
So yes, the bottom six needs help. But spending a trade chip on a fourth-line body right now is the wrong fix, plain and simple.
It's like replacing the porch light in January while the furnace is out. Nice to have. Not the thing that keeps you alive.
Boston has its own business. Marco Sturm's Bruins host Ottawa tonight after a 4-1 loss in Minnesota on Saturday.
Don Sweeney doesn't need to move a cheap depth forward three games into the season. So what would an Edmonton defenceman really be worth to him?
The Oilers blue line hasn't given Babcock many reasons to protect it. Shakir Mukhamadullin went minus-6 in his two games.
The Oilers open a California swing Wednesday in Anaheim, and a new forward might be on that flight. The harder question is who's standing in the crease when it lands.
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Should the Oilers trade a defenceman for Mikey Eyssimont before fixing their goaltending?
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