Former first round pick rumored to be making a return to the NHL.

We have a very interesting rumor coming out of Edmonton to report, one that could very well signal the return of a former first round pick to the National Hockey League.

Although it has been over a year now since we last saw veteran forward Tyler Ennis skate on an NHL playing surface, Edmonton Oilers insider Jim Matheson is now reporting that Ennis is looking to make his return to the world's premier hockey league.

"Tyler Ennis was at Perry Pearn’s 3on3 camp and hearing he might get PTO, maybe from Western based team," revealed Matheson on Friday. "Still has irons in fire back in Switzerland where he played last season."

It's hard to imagine that Ennis, a native of Edmonton, Alberta, would chose to play another season in Switzerland over accepting an NHL offer and it seems far more likely that he is keeping those irons in the fire as a backup plan.

Ennis, a former first round pick (26th overall) of the Buffalo Sabres at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft played 37 games for Bern SC of the Swiss league last season, scoring 13 goals and adding 20 assists for a total of 33 points over that stretch.

Although Matheson did not specify which western teams were looking at the possibility of signing Ennis to a professional tryout offer, you have to imagine that the Oilers are among those teams. Not only is Ennis from the area originally, but Matheson's reporting focuses largely on the Oilers organization, leading me to believe there may be a connection there.

Stay tuned for more on this developing story.