Edmonton Oilers could use the services of an old fan favorite player back in their lineup.
Edmonton Oilers could use the services of an old fan favorite player back in their lineup.
EDMONTON -- Game two of the Edmonton Oilers first round series is tonight at Rogers Place.
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The Oilers are up 1-0 in their opening series against the Los Angeles Kings. They dispatched the Kings by a 7-4 score in Monday night's game, and look to make things equally as difficult for their opposition tonight.
One of the more fun moments of the game came during the third period - where former Oilers forward Klim Kostin was spotted in the crowd. He had a smile on his face and his old jersey (number 21) draped over his shoulders.
Is it possible that the Oilers could bring back the charming player back to Edmonton? I certainly think it's possible, but a better question to ask would be, "does it make sense?"
The 24-year old 6-foot-4 212 lbs winger only has one year left with a modest $2-million cap hit. With all of the moving around that the Oilers have to do next season, that's easy enough to fit under the cap - especially if there is a contract going back to the San Jose Sharks.
Right now they have a laundry list of unrestricted and restricted free agents (UFA & RFA) that need new deals to play next season. Dylan Holloway, Philip Broberg, Adam Henrique, Warren Foegele, Mattias Janmark, Sam Carrick, Connor Brown, Adam Erne, Sam Gagner, Corey Perry, Troy Stecher, Vincent Desharnais, and Calvin Pickard make up 13 expiring contracts that the Oilers have to make decisions on this off season - not including numerous prospects and players currently with the Bakersfield Condors.
With the Sharks rebuilding it's possible that they want older players than just prospects. Unfortunately for them, the Oilers players who would more than likely be trade chips in a potential deal are also on expiring deals.
With that as the backdrop, let's look at some hypothetical trades that could reasonably bring Kostin back to the City of Champions. Of course - any potential deals would be made after the playoffs have concluded.
Philip Broberg & 2025 4th Round Pick
Broberg is one of the players that needs a new deal to play next season - as I mentioned above. If the left side of the Oilers blue line remains intact, that would spell the official end for Broberg's tenure with the Oilers.
Packaging him with a mid-round draft pick can make sense for both teams, especially if it's not a sign-and-trade situation. Kostin's $2-million cap hit is easy enough to fit into the Oilers line up.
Raphael Lavoie & 2025 3rd Round Pick
Raphael Lavoie is one of the prospects presently playing for the Condors who is an RFA this off season. If the team isn't going to give him a legitimate shot at being a top-nine NHL forward next season - they should use him to acquire a player who they know will be.
Lavoie isn't considered the best prospect that the Oilers have, so packaging him with a third round pick (instead of a 4th round) would make sense in my mind.
Kostin is at the perfect age to help a rebuilding team like the Sharks - and his performance at the end of the season may drive the price of acquisition up. But for the Oilers to continue their success they will need players of Kostin's ilk to round out their lineup and support their stars.
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