The Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers are currently battling it out for a playoff spot in the Western Conference. Right now, the Flames lead the Pacific Division with 57 points, but the Oilers aren't far behind with 55.
Both teams are looking to add a top-six forward to their lineup that could help them with their second-half playoff push. According to TSN insiders Pierre Lebrun and Darren Dreger, the teams would like to have deals done before the trade deadline on Feb. 24.
A couple weeks ago, Calgary traded Michael Frolik to the Buffalo Sabres, which cleared up $4.3 million in cap space. Lebrun noted that finding a right-handed shooter is "key" for Flames GM Brad Treliving.
The Oilers recently signed defenceman Caleb Jones to a two-year contract extension, with a young stud like Jones locked up, that opens the door for 32-year-old Kris Russell to become a trade option.
There is a decent sized list of all the names that could be on the market ahead of the deadline. It includes Tyler Toffoli, Chris Kreider, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Tyler Ennis, Vladislav Namestnikov, Ilya Kovalchuk, Mikael Granlund, Rocco Grimaldi, Craig Smith, Wayne Simmonds, Alex Galchenyuk, Connor Sheary, Jimmy Vesey, Kasperi Kapanen, and Andreas Johnsson.
Kyle Palmeri, Tomas Tatar, Eric Staal, and Marcus Johansson are all set to become unrestricted free agents in the 2021 off season. Those are some pretty big names, and they could be worth the gamble for teams trying to make a late playoff push.
Expect Ken Holland and Brad Treliving to be a couple of very busy men for the next month, as they try to make the proper moves to help their teams become real contenders come April.
