NHL Trade Rumors 2016: Oilers Want Travis Hamonic
The Edmonton Oilers need all the help they can get right now. Sitting at 7th in the Pacific Division, they are looking at every possible opportunity to grab someone via trade, and several online sources are saying that they're looking at trading for Travis Hamonic.
The team knew even before the start of the season that they needed to make major tweaks in their blue line, but this is only the time all season long that they've shown some aggressiveness in pursuing a player like Hamonic.
But it's really no surprise ever since new GM and President of Hockey Operations Peter Chiarelli took over. Aside from Hamonic of the New York Islanders, rumors are saying that they also are exploring the options for Sami Vatanen from the Anaheim Ducks.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
For Hamonic, a move to the Oilers actually makes perfect sense since he can live a lot closer to home, plus the fact that the team is in desperate need of a reliable defenseman like him.
The biggest obstacle to this trade proposal is the fact that the Islanders want something in return that will offset the loss of Hamonic. Therefore, they also want a defenseman to be included in the planned trade. The question is where will the Oilers go in finding one? So at the moment, the best case scenario for the Oilers is to avoid trading for him while in the middle of the season.
Now if the Hamonic plan won't materialize, the Oilers can instead pursue Sami Vatanen, one of the surpluses of young defensemen in the Ducks current blue line. If the Ducks bite this trade offer, they are expected to ask for an offensive player in return, the purpose of which is to be able to compete with other teams in scoring during the postseason. But if the Ducks wait this out until the postseason, there is a great possibility that the Oilers instead will go for Hamonic.
