Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Oilers answered some email today...

Q: (1) Trade the Oilers’ first draft pick at the entry draft in Newark, N.J., on June 30, trade both rookie Nail Yakupov and veteran winger Ales Hemsky, if required, to get the first overall pick Seth Jones; (2) try to sign David Clarkson of the New Jersey Devils and Boston Bruins winger Nathan Horton, even though he’s had injury problems; (3) try to sign Bruins goalie Anton Khudobin to give Edmonton’s No. 1 Devan Dubnyk some competition.

A: If the Florida Panthers, the worst team in the NHL right now, win the draft lottery and get first pick on June 30, the Oilers would be dealing with everybody else. I’m sure the Panthers would listen to an Oilers pitch if Yakupov was included since he plays like Pavel Bure and the Panthers used to have Bure on their roster. But the Panthers would not listen if the Oilers’ first-round pick was past No. 6 because they would have to get a defenceman...

Every team is looking at Clarkson, a younger version of New York Rangers winger Ryane Clowe. But he’s born and bred a Devil, and he’s playing for Pete DeBoer, his former junior coach. I don’t see him leaving New Jersey. Horton is a possibility since the Bruins likely aren’t going to re-sign him unless he takes a healthy pay cut from his current $4 million a season. But Horton hasn’t been the same player since his bad concussion in the 2011 playoffs. Buyer beware.

The Bruins seem to feel that Swede Niklas Svedberg, the American Hockey League’s top goalie playing for the Providence Bruins, can make the jump to back up Tuukka Rask in Boston next season. This would mean Khudobin, a Russian, would be on the market....

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