Rumor: Oilers targeting one of the Habs top forwards
The Edmonton Oilers had a sad and humiliating first-round playoff elimination at the hands of the Winnipeg Jets, and one could argue that their first-round departure looks even worse now that the Jets have been swept by the Montreal Canadiens in just four games.
Despite having arguably the best player in the world at their disposal in captain Connor McDavid, the Oilers have failed to achieve any true playoffs success, and there's no doubt that changes must be made to avoid wasting McDavid's prime years in the NHL. You can't blame current Oilers general manager Ken Holland for the team's lack of success; Holland has had very little cap space to work with since joining the team, and inherited a number of bad contracts from former Oilers general manager Peter Chiarelli, but this upcoming offseason could be when Holland truly leaves his mark on the team.
Holland was urged to make some dramatic deals in the summer by controversial journalist Steve Simmons in a recent article for the Toronto Sun. One of those moves would be to chase one of the top forwards from the same Canadiens club that swept the Jets, with Simmons proposing that the Oilers should allow Ryan Nugent Hopkins depart as a free agency and instead target Phillip Danault of Montreal to replace him in the centre.
From Simmons:
If I'm Ken Holland in Edmonton, I'm saying goodbye to Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and spending some of his free-agent money on Phillip Danault.
Danault has quickly earned a reputation as one of the hardest centerman to play against in the entire league and has excelled when it comes to shutting down top stars on opposing teams. Even Colorado Avalanche star forward Nathan MacKinnon sung his praises this season when he suggested that Danault should be a serious contender for the Selke.
"Danault. Such a good centerman, it's hard to get space on him," admitted MacKinnon. "I don't know if he's in Selke talks but he should be, hopefully he wins one. Good vs everyone not just me."
Credit: HockeyFeed
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Should the Habs trade Danault? | ||
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