Oilers Pivoted After Failed Jean-Gabriel Pageau Trade
Jean-Gabriel Pageau (Robert Edwards-Imagn Images)EDMONTON – The trade deadline is a great time for hockey fans.
The rumors ahead of deals being made are one of the ways that many fans of the sport spend their time scrolling through the internet. And in the aftermath, failed deals come to light.
For the Edmonton Oilers, it looks like they came close to one deal.
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According to RG, the Oilers were interested in New York Islanders center Jean-Gabriel Pageau. Ultimately, any potential deal fell through, and the Oilers pivoted to acquire Trent Frederic and Max Jones. A source also confirmed this with The Hockey News.
A report published by RG cites two primary reasons the Islanders didn't execute a Pageau deal with the Oilers at the trade deadline.
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Islanders Weren't Willing To Retain Salary
Pageau's $5 million contract is valid until the end of the 2025-26 NHL season. However, the Oilers' salary cap situation means they couldn't absorb the entire cap hit for the veteran center.
Unfortunately, the Islanders didn't want to retain salary in the deal. Instead, they made a deal to trade away center Brock Nelson, who has an expiring contract. So retaining salary on a Nelson deal made more sense because the retained salary would only be for the remainder of the current NHL season.
Islanders Didn't Want Just Draft Picks
Another reason the Islanders pivoted to a Nelson deal was the return. In addition to draft picks, they acquired prospect Cal Ritchie. They expect Ritchie to be ready to play NHL games at the beginning of next season.
Looking at the Oilers prospect chart, it's clear who the Islanders would have wanted in a Pageau trade. They would likely have been eyeing one of Matt Savoie or Sam O'Reilly. Considering that the quality of the team's prospects falls off after that would be enough reason to give the organization pause.
In the end, they gave up some draft picks and Shane LeChance, a prospect whose rights with the team were expiring at the end of the current season.
Failed Pageau Trade Is A Missed Opportunity
Acquiring Pageau would have been an incredible addition to the Oilers. He is a hard-working two-way player who can chip in a good amount of offense. Pageau is in his fourth full season with the Islanders, scoring at least 33 points each year.
He currently has 37 points in 68 games while averaging 17:02 per game. Pageau would have been an excellent middle-six center who would have given coach Kris Knoblauch a lot of roster flexibility. He is also a right-handed shooter.
While Frederic doesn't bring all of the same elements as Pageau, he is unique in his own way and will be a contributing member of the team once he is healthy again.
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