The Edmonton Oilers almost acquired defenceman Ryan McDonagh in a 2016 blockbuster, according to a new report from Larry Brooks of the New York Post.
Citing multiple sources, Brooks reports that the core of the trade would have seen the Oilers send the fourth-overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft to the Rangers for McDonagh, with other unknown pieces also being swapped.
Ultimately the Oilers declined the offer and used the pick to select forward Jesse Puljujarvi.
Brooks adds the Rangers, who had traded their first-round pick round pick to the Arizona Coyotes as part of a package to acquire Keith Yandle a year earlier, wanted to move up in the draft to select forward Clayton Keller. Keller went to the Coyotes seventh-overall and Arizona sent the Rangers pick (20th overall) to the Detroit Red Wings for Pavel Datsyuk’s contract and pick No. 16.
In his latest 31 Thoughts blog, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the Rangers, Coyotes and St. Louis Blues all approached the Oilers about making a trade for the fourth-overall pick to use it to select Keller.
The Coyotes still were able to get him without giving up any assets, and he represented the team at this weekend’s NHL All-Star game.
New York eventually traded McDonagh, and forward J.T. Miller, to the Tampa Bay Lightning at the 2018 trade deadline. And the Oilers still added a defenceman that off-season, acquiring Adam Larsson from the New Jersey Devils for Taylor Hall five days after the 2016 draft.
[relatedlinks]
