Is Adam Boqvist getting traded soon?

Edmonton Oilers scouts have been in town all week, fueling speculation that Edmonton is interested in one or more Blue Jacket players. But who are they watching?

There are rumors that they're looking at Andrew Peeke and even Elvis Merzlikins, but the obvious answer is Adam Boqvist. There is no way the CBJ are trading Elvis Merzlikins, as that would signal a white flag on this season, and probably next season as well. Frank Seravalli mentions that Merzlikin's agent, who happens to be Edmonton-based, claims that they "would welcome a change of scenery." I guess we'll find out. 

Frank Seravalli of the Daily Faceoff lists Peeke and Boqvist as the likely trade pieces. But, Boqvist has been the one playing as of late. And he hasn't just been playing, he's been playing on the top pairing with Zach Werenski. Andrew Peeke on the other hand, has only played four games this season.

Boqvist's ice time has increased from 16 minutes on Monday against the Boston Bruins, to 19:51 on Wednesday against Montreal, to over 20 minutes on Friday night against the Ottawa Senators. In those three games, he's a +5 with 5 SOG and no points. The ice time increase is further fueling the rumors that Boqvist is being "showcased" for a trade. This speculation is easy to understand considering before the 7-game stretch of games he's currently on, Boqvist had only played four games all season. 

But, the Jackets also were dealt a blow to the blueline when Damon Severson went down with an oblique injury, so somebody had to play. Adam Boqvist seemed to be the best option, so it was perfect timing, unfortunately. 

Boqvist carries a cap hit of $2.6 million, so it would take some work to make his cap hit fit, but as we know, GMs are wizards and can make anything work. 

Usually, when there's smoke, there's fire, and with Adam Boqvist the smoke is billowing. Whether or not these rumors come true or not is to be determined, but for now, it sounds like a trade will happen at some point. 

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