Monster trade scenario surfaces to get Leon Draisaitl perfect winger on Oilers’ 2nd line!

The Edmonton Oilers are finally starting to behave like the Stanley Cup contenders they claim they can be and this means general manager Ken Holland could pull off a monster trade ahead of the deadline just 10 weeks away. Anyway, that’s what insider Chris Johnston imagines when he explained in a trade matchmaker game he played with colleague Pierre LeBrun on Friday that the Oilers could target a perfect linemate for Leon Draisaitl on the second line.

It has been reported that the Pittsburgh Penguins have not had serious discussions with forward Jake Guentzel’s camp about a new contract, which prompted aggressive NHL trade rumors.

Johnston therefore believes Guentzel could be moved to Edmonton, if the Penguins consider absorbing some of his cap hit, and therefore bring Draisaitl the perfect winger to crank up the offense ever more for the Oilers:

“If we’re imagining a world where Pittsburgh is both trading Guentzel and retaining salary, no buyer makes more sense than Edmonton. This would be an elite-level upgrade to a team already spilling over with elite forwards, and it would give the Oilers a natural shoot-first winger who could play alongside Leon Draisaitl. It’s an intriguing thought. This is clearly another all-in year for the Oilers, who have found traction after their early-season struggles but will need a shot in the arm in the second half.”

Guentzel is in the final year of a contract with an average annual value of $6 million. There is a sense that the winger does not fit into the Penguins’ long-term plans and that GM Kyle Dubas could move him and put his focus on fortifying the center position for the long term in order to avoid the agonizing pain of a full rebuild in Pittsburgh.

However, the Penguins will probably wait till the last dying moment of their season to move Guentzel and ask for a first-rounder and a prospect in return. Would the Oilers be willing to spend that much?

As long as a playoff run remains feasible for the Penguins, I believe Guentzel will not join Draisaitl in Edmonton and will remain put…

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