3 Trade Options the Oilers Could Target From Florida Panthers

When it becomes time to activate their injured players and as the Florida Panthers try to find room on their salary cap to ice their healthy roster, questions about who the team will inevitably trade are out there. Insiders suggest someone has to go as there’s going to be an inevitable need for the Panthers to clear salary cap space. That creates a potential opportunity for other teams, even the Edmonton Oilers.

While the Oilers have their own cap concerns, there is chatter GM Ken Holland is looking for toughness and grit, while trying to update his blue line. Is there anything the Panthers have that the Oilers might want? Ideally, Radko Gudas would be a nice fit, but the Panthers aren’t likely to move him. Who else could be on Edmonton’s radar?

Anthony Ducalir Could Be Simplest Solution

Most of the problems the Panthers are about to face stem from the fact that Anthony Duclair is nearly ready to return to the lineup after suffering an Achilles injury. It’s his $3 million salary that the Panthers need to make room for and the easiest solution might be to simply trade him. It’s not necessarily what the Panthers want to do, but with another year on his contract after this one, there would be teams that like what he can bring if acquired.

Frank Seravalli listed Duclair on his trade bait board but put an asterisk beside his name. Seravalli writes:

One option, may be one of the easiest options, would be to take Duclair and unload him somewhere for free, have someone take him off your hands, you might even have to pay given the scenario that the Florida Panthers are in, to have someone bail you out in order to make that happen. But the reason Duclair has the asterisk and I call him a placeholder is I believe at this point he’s just as likely as some of the other players on the Florida Panthers roster that could be moved.

If the Panthers were willing to eat a little salary or take another smaller salary in return, the Oilers could be an option here. Duclair has speed, the proven ability to play with elite talent and he’s a proven goal scorer, with 31 goals last season. He would immediately slot into the Oilers’ top six and provide some scoring help where, to this point in the season, the Oilers haven’t had a ton of help outside their top stars.

Sam Bennett Would Add Some Bite to Oilers

Another player the Panthers would probably rather not move, but might feel the need to is Sam…