from Mark Spector of Sportsnet,

Out of shape, out of practice, and already out of the playoff picture. That describes a Philadelphia team that is naked, searching for a blanket that can only come from two places this early in a season: within, or from some other flailing franchise like Buffalo and Edmonton. And that’s where the fun begins.

You have to go back, like, 25 years to find 10 impactful trades conducted in the month of October, but this year could be different.

In Edmonton, where the Oilers are similarly mired at 1-6-1, GM Craig MacTavish promised bold moves when he took the job, and has all kinds of roster needs. The Oilers have the scoring wingers that Philadelphia GM Paul Holmgren seeks—Ales Hemsky, Nail Yakupov—and a shopping list that includes size and grit (Wayne Simmonds), a defenceman (Braydon Coburn), or a young centreman with some size (Sean Couturier).

In Buffalo, Sabres fans are literally showing up at games and chanting for GM Darcy Regier to be fired. Regier has a pending UFA in Tomas Vanek who could be the Flyers’ short-term fix, and his Sabres are 1-7-1. He’d take some youth, even if it meant taking a few more dollars back in the bargain.

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