Oilers Should Pursue Guentzel & Tanev Trades at Trade Deadline
The Edmonton Oilers should be planning to go all-in for a Stanley Cup this season, and there are plenty of options available to them to give them the best chance of winning it all. Two of the biggest names heading into the trade deadline are targets the Oilers should have in mind as they would give them a great opportunity to win. Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jake Guentzel and Calgary Flames’ defender Chris Tanev are two of the most sought-after players heading into the 2024 Trade Deadline, and the Oilers have an opportunity to make a deal for both of them. While it will be a bidding war, as several teams will be interested in both Guentzel and Tanev, the Oilers should be all over them.
There have been reports that the Oilers have interest in Guentzel and Tanev already, but getting them both will be tough. They only have $2.3 million in deadline cap space to work with, so a deal for one would be tough but a deal for both would be even more complex. Guentzel has a $6 million cap hit and Tanev has a $4.5 million cap hit, but both teams could be willing to retain 50% of their contracts as they are pending unrestricted free agents and could maximize the return, knocking the cap hits down to $3 million for Guentzel and $2.25 million for Tanev, making a trade more possible. The only issue then would be if the Oilers have enough assets to make two separate monster blockbuster deals work.
As I discussed in a previous article, the asking price for Guentzel likely looks like him being traded to the Oilers in exchange for Cody Ceci, Philip Broberg, a 2024 first-round pick, and a 2025 third-round pick. With that deal, the Oilers have fewer assets and less money to work with. The Penguins likely only do this deal with a trade lined up for Ceci, making this a three-team deal, but that only adds to the complexity of the deal. In another article looking at Tanev, I mentioned that Ceci, Broberg, and a 2024 second-round pick would be enough to make a deal work, but they wouldn’t have all of those assets should they pull off a trade with the Penguins first.
However, the Oilers should be able to pull a deal off with the Flames with different assets. If contract extension discussions have gone nowhere by the time the deadline comes around with Warren Foegele, he could be moved along with Xavier Bourgault, Carter Savoie, and their 2024 second-round pick in exchange for Tanev. The Flames would have to retain salary on Tanev’s contract for the remainder of the season which is very possible, but this is a tough deal to pull off. The only reason this scenario could make sense is because the Flames’ asking price is a second-round pick for Tanev, allowing the Oilers to explore moving their first-round pick for Guentzel.
Guentzel & Tanev’s Careers, What They Would Bring to the Oilers
Guentzel is a 29-year-old forward from Omaha, Nebraska who was drafted 77th overall by the Penguins in the third round of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. This season, he has scored 22 goals and added 30 assists for 52 points through 50 games. Through 503 career NHL games, he has scored 219 goals and added 247 assists for 466 points which comes out to a 0.93 points-per-game average. He is currently dealing with an injury, but he provides a strong amount of offensive production in the top six of the Penguins’ lineup and could do the same thing with the Oilers. He also plays well defensively, so he adds stability in his own end as well, which will be beneficial for their playoff run.
Tanev is a 34-year-old right-shot defender from East York, Ontario who joined the NHL with the Vancouver Canucks in the 2010-11 season. With the Flames this season, he has scored one goal and added 11 assists for 12 points through 53 games and has been one of the best defensive defensemen throughout the league. In 770 career games, he has scored 32 goals and added 151 assists for 183 points which comes out to a 0.24 points-per-game average. He would be a perfect addition to the Oilers’ blue line and would provide defensive stability that they haven’t had in several seasons. While he provides minimal offensive production, he is what any team wants out of a stay-at-home defender.
Both players would provide a ton of value, even if they were only rentals and didn’t sign extensions with the Oilers. Adding them both for a playoff run makes the Oilers one of the favourites for a Stanley Cup victory, and gives them a phenomenal chance of winning their first championship since 1990.
