Evander Kane could ruin Oilers’ chance at monster trade!

TSN’s Darren Dreger reported earlier this week how the Edmonton Oilers and general manager Ken Holland were looking to get a boost on the back end, and immediately, he linked San Jose star defenseman Erik Karlsson to Edmonton.

“Defense is an area of concern for the Oilers. It was going into the season, and it continues to be. The Oilers need a top defenseman. Now do they get wild and crazy and try to swing for the fences and try to get in on Erik Karlsson of the San Jose Sharks? It seems impossible that they could do that but there’s some around the organization with interest.”

In his latest column, David Staples pointed out some of the reasons why the Oilers trading for EK seems far-fetched, especially when it comes to the return San Jose would seek and the cap situation in Edmonton.

“For San Jose to eat half his salary ($5.75 million this year and four more), Edmonton will have to give up some good prospects/players. Edmonton will have to move out Tyson Barrie ($4.5 million) and one of the three million dollar wingers, Jesse Puljujarvi ($3.0 million), Warren Foegele ($2.75 million) or Kailer Yamamoto ($3.1 million). For San Jose to carry the load of half of Karlsson’s cap hit, I suspect Edmonton would have to include at least one top young player and two first round picks. The deal might be (and I’m must guessing here) Barrie, Puljujarvi, two first round picks (lottery protected) and Philip Broberg or Dylan Holloway, with San Jose eating that huge dollop of cap space.”

But the main reason is that Karlsson holds a complete No-Movement Clause and could refuse to go to Edmonton, despite that he is said to be interested in returning to Canada. Edmonton could be out of the question because of Evander Kane, who joined the Oilers last year after being drummed out of the Sharks’ dressing room.

While Karlsson once said that while the San Jose room was better without Kane, it wasn’t just a one-man problem, he never came to his former teammate’s defense.

Karlsson will be the most coveted trade bait on the blue line ahead of the March 3 deadline. Before Friday’s NHL action, he led all NHL defensemen in goals (11) and points (35), and is tied for eighth among NHL skaters in points with Pittsburgh Penguins’ Sidney Crosby.

If the Oilers don’t end up landing Karlsson, you have to expect that some fans will blame Kane. 

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