Oilers won’t have any issue at all signing nuge.

Do NYR fans not think Strome is a suitable 2C? He was beyond fine at the position last year...

I dont really get it either. By himself jes a mess but he had great synergy with Panarin

You forgot we have Nick Suzuki.

Well that’s where your wrong. We can sign Nugent-Hopkins for sure. Just need to move Russell and free up some cap maybe Neal as well, or Chiasson.

Agreed!

No idea why everyone thinks we need another center we have Suzuki, Kotkaniemi, Danault, Poehling, Evans, Domi, Teasdale, Hillis and too many others to name. Teasdale and Hillis are not making the Habs next season but Poehling could push for a spot so we have 5-6 guys to fill 4 spots. Yeah we need Strome like we need a hole in the head and Carolina's 1st may as well be a second!

Fair points.
Reality is this though Kreider is NOT a first line player. He had a career year but was on pace for 58 pts. His career is around the 50-55 pt mark regardless. On the PP, Panarin and Zibanejad are close to unstoppable and now with Lafrenière UNLESS a trade is too good to deny which would have to be like Turcotte or Villardi and the 2nd overall or something along those lines, Lafreniere is this teams 2nd LW within 2 seasons so Strome shouldn’t be with Panarin. He was on pace for 43 pts before Panarin got here which is good especially not playing with much help. I just don’t see if they move the lines hypothetically Panarin-zib-Buch Kreider-Strome Kakko if Strome is on pace for 70, if Kreider has a low 50 pt season... Panarin made Strome to a 70 pt pace. Would rather give a younger C $5-$6M per year than Strome.

My thoughts:

We know contracts with Kris Russell, Alex Chiasson, Adam Larsson, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins all expire after next season. I estimate there is more than $5,000,000 in free cap space, based on a stagnant cap, if the first three players are replaced with NHL-ready prospects. I'd argue that Russell has already been surpassed by Caleb Jones, and William Lagesson isn't far behind him, either of Tyler Benson or Cooper Marody could take Chiasson's spot, Ryan McLeod is not far either, and the combination of Bear and Bouchard could make parting with Larsson palatable. Yamamoto and Khaira will also need contracts, but the former will be an RFA without arbitration rights, and the latter could be surpassed by the aforementioned McLeod. There should be plenty of money to resign Ryan Nugent-Hopkins in Edmonton.

Strome was a decent 3C in Edmonton. My only issue with the player back then was his cap hit; I thought he was slightly over-compensated. Strome suffered a prolonged scoring drought and fell victim to one of Peter Chiarelli's panic attacks, he shouldn't have been traded. I don't think he will be reunited with the Oilers, and if he is he would almost certainly be the 3C once again.

Holland won't trade away one of his top 3 players and his top prospect for a 3C, a slow skating prospect that projects to be a 3C, and another young LHD. If he feels he can't sign Puljujarvi, Holland might have some interest in discussing that 1st round pick and the Ranger's 3rd round pick in exchange for JP, That won't address your desire to upgrade the Ranger's 2C though.

So you’re saying a mid-late 1 PLUS a 3 for a guy who hasn’t played in the NHL bc he hasn’t been able to produce in the NHL? Feel like Lias and JP are both players who aren’t able to crack the lineups of there respective teams and if anything NYR would add a 3 or something since JP has more upside I’d guess. Also, Hajek was playing until he got hurt but now that Miller signed his ELC, plus Lindgren being here Hajek really won’t have an easy time cracking the lineup and I also hadn’t ruled out Rykov which is why I added Hajek. Bear is a RHD though so I put a LHD in the deal who was a high 2nd rounder.

Flames fan here that would be willing to explore trading Monahan

Puljujarvi has been discussed ad nauseam. He was mishandled and injured during is ELC. From outside the organization it looks as though what transpired is almost criminal given his analytics when playing with other top-end talent. The appearance is if as though the Oiler management and coaching staff at the time were so focused on avoiding the mistakes made with Yakupov that they inadvertently created a similar outcome by being overly cautious with Puljujarvi, rather than letting the young man play to his strengths. He is a superior talent in comparison to Andersson and I am suggesting that Holland will remain true to his statements on the subject of JP's trade value.

Edmonton has an abundance of good young LHD. Aside from Klefbom, Nurse, and Jones, who are all on the NHL roster, Lagesson is ready for full-time NHL duty and needs a qualifying offer. Reports indicate Broberg may be ready sooner than anticipated, Samorukov remains in the system and may still develop into a good two-way NHL defender. Lennstrom and Niemelainen are season pros in Europe and also under contract with the Oilers. Matt Cairns is probably going to be a minor league pro, but he may surprise. Lagesson plays a similar style to Hajek, as do Niemelainen and Cairns, Samorukov may be a better physical two-way d-man, Lennstrom is lightening fast and capable of both carrying and passing the puck out of the d-zone, and Broberg looks like a future top-2 defender.

Acquiring another RHD may make more sense for the Oilers. Bear has already established himself as a top-4 defender in the NHL, and by the end of next season Bouchard will probably be a regular fixture on the NHL roster. Larsson's contract expires after next season, and Benning needs a qualifying offer now. Berglund is an older player with a few seasons of pro experience in Sweden, he will need time to learn the North American game once he comes over. Phil Kemp and Michael Kesselring are both enjoying strong NCAA careers but the jury is still out with respect to whether or not either will become an NHL player some day. Benning is a very good 5-6 NHL defender, but his $2M qualifying offer is a bit tough to accept in the current fiscal environment. I can't see Holland trading JP for a young RHD to play behind Bear and Bouchard, that would be an imbalance in favour of New York and Tippett would likely rather have a veteran in the lineup anyway.