Dan Rosen of NHL.com answered numerous questions from the fans...

At what point do the Edmonton Oilers look at trading Ryan Nugent-Hopkins? How do they afford him with their latest extensions?

Oilers general manager Peter Chiarelli and his staff are in an interesting and difficult position with Nugent-Hopkins, who is 24 and carries a $6 million salary-cap charge for the next four seasons. He's valuable to them now as a No. 2 center or perhaps a No. 3 center depending on how they use Draisaitl and Ryan Strome. He also fits under their salary-cap structure now because McDavid's raise, from $925,000 to $12.5 million, doesn't kick in until next season. However, the Oilers will likely be in a bind next offseason with McDavid's new contract and the potential to give Strome and defenseman Darnell Nurse raises too. They must look a year ahead, when goalie Cam Talbot will be in the market for a new contract.

The Oilers must weigh the cost-benefit analysis in handling Nugent-Hopkins. If they trade Nugent-Hopkins before or during the season, when his value could go up depending on how badly a team might need him or how he performs, how much will they be giving up from a roster that should be thinking about contending for the Stanley Cup this season? If they wait until after the season to trade him, will they be getting the same value for him they might get if they traded him now or at least soon? I don't know the answer to these questions, but the best guess here is Nugent-Hopkins' $6 million cap charge is not likely a fit for the Oilers beyond this season.

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