NHL Trade Rumors 2017: Avalanche linked to Oilers’ defenseman Brandon Davidson

The Edmonton Oilers are just the latest NHL team to be potentially handcuffed in their trade deadline plans thanks to the expansion draft.

In this week’s edition of Elliotte Friedman’s “30 Thoughts” column on Sportsnet, the Oilers get a special mention as defenseman Brandon Davidson has been tapped as a potential trade asset, albeit a reluctant one.

Finally on the Avalanche, there’s a certain logic that they are one of the teams taking a run at Edmonton’s Brandon Davidson. Davidson, a great story who’s carved out a nice niche, is not someone the Oilers want to trade, but someone they may be forced to move. First, it will be tough to protect him in the expansion draft. Second, he’s going to be due a raise, but so are Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. The Oilers also want to keep Kris Russell. You can’t keep everyone, so the Oilers are being proactive. Davidson will help someone.

The Avalanche are in need of, well, a lot considering their free fall through the standings. The addition of a 25-year-old defenseman with 13 points in 84 career NHL games doesn’t seem like a lot, but he’s been a very solid blue-liner that can play on both the left and right sides. Adding Davidson shores up a good bottom-pairing defenseman for a reasonable price at a $1.425 million cap hit, according to CapFriendly.

The problem? The Oilers don’t want to trade him, but will likely be forced to move a defenseman at the deadline thanks to the impending expansion draft. Davidson is likely going to be a young, viable target for Vegas, and it makes sense the Oilers want to get something in return should they move him.

Their other option is to trade Kris Russell, a 29-year-old defenseman whose possession numbers leave something to be desired. Edmonton’s management likes Russell as well, but they are going to have to make a decision as to who they value more and what potential value they can get back via a trade.