Quote:
Originally Posted by Enoch Root
The return would be better than what VAN got for Hughes.
However, unless it includes a high-end goalie, 2 top 4 Dmen, 3 top 6 forwards, and 3 or 4 bottom 6 guys, I don't see how it makes the Oilers competitive.
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It would have to be the start of a rebuild I think. If the oilers were to trade McDavid this summer, I think there only 3 prospects/young players in the NHL that teams wouldn’t be willing to trade for McDavid - Celebrini, Bedard and Schaefer. For 2 years of McDavid and the inside track to sign him to his next contract, I think any team would trade any/all of their top prospects/young players outside of those 3. Just as an example:
To San Jose: McDavid
To Edmonton: Misa + San Jose’s 2026 1st round pick + Edmonton’s 2026 1st round pick + San Jose’s 2027 1st round pick + San Jose’s 2028 1st round pick
I could see something like that. It basically jumpstarts the oilers into a rebuild. Of course, his trade protection could limit the trade partners because he for sure will be picky about where he goes. San Jose is probably a bad example right now because it would likely feel like a similar situation as what he just went through in Edmonton - two superstars and poor defence. He likely did would not have much desire to play there.
The tough part for Edmonton will be if he only wants to go to teams that have virtually no young players/prospects of any quality (eg. Florida or Tampa Bay). Sure, they’ll give Edmonton 5-6 1st round picks but those likely all end up in 25th-32nd overall range. With how the oilers draft/develop, the likelihood of them getting a single impact player from the picks is really low.