The Edmonton Oilers are in talks with the Philadelphia Flyers about a possible trade, according to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, which Tom Gazzola and Dustin Neilson revealed on Monday’s broadcast of The Oil Stream. The Oilers were among the weakest teams in the league in November of last year, according to reports. But it’s not Travis Konecny that the Oilers are interested in. They have been investigating Sean Walker and Scott Laughton as players.
Walker, a right-handed defenceman who is 29 years old, has scored 21 points in 59 games this year. In addition, he has 89 blocked shots and 79 hits. The Los Angeles Kings were his team of choice for the past five seasons. The 29-year-old centre Laughton has accumulated 30 points in 59 games in addition to 108 hits and 39 blocked shots.
Walker, who is 5’11” and weighs 191 pounds, has been questioned about his size by some Oilers analysts on Twitter. With the amount of hits I just listed, he plays bigger than his size, though, for someone with a smaller build. The defensive duo of Cody Ceci and Darnell Nurse has been a major talking point throughout Oil Country. At times, Ceci plays defence like he’s trying too little, while Nurse plays defence like he’s trying too much to make up for his huge salary.
Ceci isn’t a good enough fit for Edmonton’s blueline, to be fair; he gets too much ice time for the guy he is. Walker is perhaps the most affordable and effective Ceci substitute out there right now. While I disagree with the anti-nurse crowd, he needs a more reliable companion to assist in calming him down in the same manner as Mattias Ekholm did for Evan Bouchard.
Laughton would improve the offensive output and toughness of the middle six/bottom six. Walker will become a UFA at the conclusion of the season, but he would not be a rental as he still has two years left on his current deal. Although Konecny was just made an assistant captain a few weeks ago, many Oilers fans are eager to acquire him. The Flyers seem more inclined to try signing him again, in my opinion. I am aware that Laughton received an A as well, but you need to find a way to free up cap space for your best player.
