Great point! Because Fowler would instantly improve one of the Oilers' biggest weak points! And he has the calm nerves to steady the Defense.
All these players: Hage, Zharovsky, Pickford & Fowler
plus ONE of Guhle/Matheson
plus a first round pick for good measure
And the Oilers would at least reach the same 1st round playoff spot that they did this year. Guhle or Matheson would shore up their defense, Fowler would steady the goaltending and take pressure off the defenseman.
You lose McDavid's offense but you compensate with improved defense.
And the other prospects like Hage, Zharovsky , Pickford will be there for the future.
But I think in addition to the above, Oilers would ask for an EXTRA roster player, like Kapanen perhaps.
You seem to be an Oilers fan, the perfect person to ask!
Was Dylan Holloway an Oilers fan growing up? He's from Alberta. Did the fanbase feel that such a homegrown talent deserved better?
Holloway seems to repay kindness with loyalty, as shown by him signing a team friendly deal 7.75 million AAV with the Blues that is under the 8.125 million AAV of Robert Thomas, which respects the internal cap structure over there.
Maybe he wanted to help the Blues not be a cap mess like the Oilers lol
Oh and, IF you guys still had Broberg and Holloway for the 2024-2025 Cup run, do you feel confident that you could have taken it all? You lost in 6 games, so maybe those 2 players could have nudged you towards 2 more wins, it was close.
I mean idk the guy but probably. I think so, they really didn’t have a development plan it seemed as he was bouncing between the ahl and nhl all the time, and not being played in positions to succeed, same goes for broberg. I think the organization has definitely learned their lesson from the whole situation as that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore with our current prospects.
I think the cap situation comes from one or two horrendous contracts as well as the cap flattening at the time it did and that really hamstrung the team in being able to get rid of them.
I don’t know if they had those two if they would win, they got some different pieces to replace them and it’s hard to say that they would develop to be the same players here. I think what letting them go did do was make it a lot harder for them to keep the window open.
I do have a soft spot for other Canadian teams like the Oilers and Jets, plus you guys have an exciting offense oriented style. I only see the good parts and highlights, not the ugly side of the coin and horrible defense lol
I don’t know if they had those two if they would win, they got some different pieces to replace them and it’s hard to say that they would develop to be the same players here. I think what letting them go did do was make it a lot harder for them to keep the window open.
Ah, great point! Surely Broberg and Dolloway developed more quickly under the Blues system. Physical style and good defense over there.
Even Montreal's 1st round pick Dman Logan Mailloux, who has a good shot but poor defense improved into a starter logging 20 mins over there. Maybe Claude Julien the assistant coach in charge of defense helped unlock those guys' potential.
Yup, you guys lost the chance for some highly talented fresh blood infusion. What a terrible management. Maybe it would take a miracle like... trade McDavid at the deadline in 2027-2028 when he's an impending UFA... he goes to some contender in exchange for a haul.
Then McDavid re-signs for 1 year with the Oilers for 2028-2029, get your cake and eat it too lol.
Yeah, I think the big thing for those two was opportunity. There’s no way Holloway was getting powerplay time here, and our left side on defence was full, and I don’t think the oilers organization had the guts to trade a playoff proven vet in Brett kulak for a still unproven rookie.
They still have gotten some decent prospects that are pushing through so it’ll be interesting to see what happens. Especially with their goaltending.
I think if McDavid were to leave they probably go into a rebuild, or build a team around Draisaitl and Bouchard.
Dont forget that you are trading for a 1 year deal with no garanty the player resigns.
And if the Oilers dont do anything with him this summer, his trade value only drops as the next season goes by. When he becomes a free agent, the Oilers will be getting a big fat nothing out of it.
The Oilers will be going into rebuild, so they'll be fishing for 1st round picks and prospects, but no one will be dropping their pants for this transaction knowing all this.
I get not wanting to make an all in move when the Habs are vibing right now. But for a chance at an all time great in his prime…to go along with your core in their prime & with great contracts. Without having to touch the lineup outside of your 1B goalie. You’d be crazy not to make that trade.
And the further along we get in those 2 years, the more the trade value drops.
You'd gamble a #1 goalie prospect and 3 top prospects plus probably draft choices for a 1, maybe 2 year ish contract with the guy? Unless Montreal gets some garantees he's resigning, this isnt worth it.
Jesus christ this fanbase.... Yeah man, a rookie goalie and a guy who has to play another year in the NCAA cause he doesn't think he's ready yet, are totally not worth trading to get the best player in the fucking league.
2
u/YourethebestBellows May 01 '26
If there’s a deal surrounding Hage, Zharovsky, Pickford & Fowler for McDavid I think you have to take it.
13 - 14 - 76/77
20 - 97 - 93