Edmonton Oilers

Edmonton Protects As Expected, Ought To Target Exposed Defenders
June 18, 2017, 11:03 AM ET [415 Comments]
Matt Henderson
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The NHL Expansion protection lists are out and there is very little going on with the Edmonton Oilers that was not expected.

Edmonton has protected their team using the 7-3-1 format to the tune of:

Draisaitl-Lucic-Maroon-Eberle-Nuge-Letestu-Kassian-Klefbom-Sekera-Larsson-Talbot

With their exempt players taken into account, the most likely players taken by Vegas will be either Khaira or Reinhart.

There is nothing unexpected happening there.

What IS unexpected is that the Ducks opted to expose Josh Manson to Vegas in the Draft. Presumably the Ducks have a deal in place, or they are close enough to one to make that call. The prevailing theory is that Manson is seen as part of the Ducks core, and he ought to be.

Teams can opt to make this process as painless for all parties as possible, and that is the most likely outcome because GMs hate when their teams get messed with.

HOWEVER, there is absolutely no reason why the Edmonton Oilers shouldn’t try everything in their power to steal the big, mean, young Duck defender out from under Anaheim’s nose. Whatever deal the Ducks have in place to keep Manson, the Oilers would be better suited to outbid.

Was it a 1st round pick from the Ducks to move on from Manson? Edmonton’s is better. Is that not enough value to make it worth screwing over the Ducks? Do better then. Add to it. I think you start with Edmonton’s 1st (22nd overall), add Benson, and you keep pushing until you find a way to make it happen.

If there’s a way to add a player like that on this team then you make it work. There’s a lot to unfold over the next week, but there ought to be 30 other teams who want to get their hands on some of the players who shook loose. Out of the players exposed in the West, you will be hard-pressed to find one that could fit on every single team the way Manson can.

Here are some Oiler assets off the top of my head that I would be comfortable moving in some combination for Manson:

Every pick in the 2017 Entry Draft
Tyler Benson
Caleb Jones
Jordan Eberle
Matt Benning

If you miss out on Manson (because everyone should be gunning for this guy) then there are others available like Vatanen and Demers. Surely there’s a deal to be made that solidifies Edmonton’s position. Let’s see how this thing plays out.