from David Staples of the Edmonton Journal,

This in from NHL insider John Shannon, his take that the Edmonton Oilers have greater priorities than trading for Chicago Blackhawks ace attacker Patrick Kane.

“If you think that the Oilers are that close to a Stanley Cup, does Patrick Kane put you over the top? My thought process would be a defenceman rather than another forward,” Shannon told Bob Stauffer of Oilers Now. “Goal scoring is not going to be the problem for this hockey club. The issue for this club — as it has been for the last couple of years — is how to keep the puck out of the net at key times. For the most part they’ve done a pretty good job. Jack Campbell is going to address some of those issues. But I still think they need another defenceman before they need another forward.”

Stauffer broke down what he felt it might take for Edmonton to acquire Kane, either winger Jesse Puljujarvi or Warren Foegele (partly to move out salary to Chicago to fit in Kane under the Oilers’ cap), Edmonton’s 2023 #1 draft pick and a few other prospects, but not any of the Oil’s former first picks like Philip Broberg, Dylan Holloway, Reid Schaefer or Xavier Bourgault. Chicago would eat half of Kane’s salary and Edmonton also might need another team to eat 25 per cent of Kane’s $10.5 million cap hit, which might cost a third round pick. “For me, all day you should consider doing it, absolutely,” Stauffer said. “Why not? And you do it now. You go make it happen.”

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