The trade might not be a bad return for either team, but look at 2019/2020 long term outlook.

If you resign Karlsson at 10-12 mil (which is what he would ask), on 8 years, you would have 11 players making 65-67 mil. I think the team is still not a contender if they have 12 players making under a mil a season to stay under the cap.

I think the only way the Oilers make this deal is to include Draisitl, and moving out Lucic somehow. Having 3 players making 33-35 million or 42% of the cap hit is a recipe for disaster in my opinion.

they gotta get rid of russell and sekera, hes making too much to keep karlsson. but Draisaitl isnt going anywhere, RNH is gone before Draisaitl

Karlsson and McDavid on the ice at the same time would mean that Edmonton would have the puck on one of their sticks for half of every game. As long as the rest of the scrubs on the team played even a little below even, they'd still win more than they'd lose. Especially if they had a guy like Guy Boucher making the bottom 3 lines trap constantly.

It would be the most boring hockey team in the world for half of every game but that may be their best option for the future.

Honestly, they are a disaster, almost no prospects and after McDavid, RNH, Draisaitl, Puljujarvi and Yamamoto they have cement footed plugs. They don't have that much to trade with and are desperate. Not a winning combination.

They'll have 27 million to work with:

EK: 11mx8
Talbot: 4.5x3
Puljujarvi: 3mx3
Rattie: 2.5x2
Khaira: 2mx2
Aberg: 2mx2

25 million to sign everyone, and you don't even have to, you can let Aberg walk and just use Yamamoto so you can sign a backup goalie.

Then you have 3 years to go for it before Talbot regresses hard and Puljujarvi wants a big boy contract. Not a horrible situation considering you have McD, EK65, Drai, Nurse, Nuge, Yamo, Puljujarvi etc.

Plus if you want to save cap, you can buyout Russell or Sekera and play Bear on his ELC. Then they have 6-8m~ in cap to buy at the deadline.