The Edmonton Oilers are desperate to make a trade, but opposing general managers are under the impression that the club is uninterested in dealing their young core players, according to Sportsnet’s Damien Cox and Elliotte Friedman.
The Oilers have gotten off to a slow start in 2014-15. They currently sit in last place in the Western Conference with just six wins and 14 points in 20 games.
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Edmonton could use help everywhere but the most logical position to upgrade would be on the back end, as the club has the worst goal differential in the conference (minus-19), and only the Dallas Stars have allowed more goals than Edmonton in their conference.
The difficulty for Edmonton would be acquiring a substantial upgrade without dealing a core player or a high draft pick. In recent years, the Oilers have used high picks on forwards Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Nail Yakupov, but the team has yet to see an improvement on the ice.
They have seen improved possession numbers in head coach Dallas Eakins’ second season, but that has not translated into wins.
Edmonton has lost five straight entering Saturday’s action and have yet to defeat a Western Conference opponent this season.
