Rumors: Konecny traded to the Oilers, Nylander in Toronto to stay

Travis Konecny could leave the Flyers this summer, although he could be described as an interesting piece of the team’s rebuilding puzzle.

He’s one of the few players in the organization with good value on the trade market, and if the offer is right for the franchise’s future, Daniel Brière will let him go.

Last time I checked, there wasn’t necessarily any particular team that seemed to be at the height of the race for his services. But in recent days, his name has been linked more often than not to the Edmonton Oilers… And I think that makes sense.

It makes sense to me because Konecny fits the Oilers’ style. We’re talking about a guy who likes to disrupt opponents and is more than capable of putting his name on the scoresheet.

He scored 31 goals in 60 games last season, while adding 30 assists.

Some experts (Jason Gregor, for one) say it’s a bad idea because the Oilers “don’t need another money-making winger”.

Note that the forward still has two years left on his contract and earns $5.5 million a year until the end of the 2024-2025 season. That’s not much, especially for a guy of Konecny’s stature.

I think the Oilers would strike a blow by getting their hands on the Flyers’ forward. Then again, Konecny has so many tools to help the Edmonton team, which could use them to add not only offensive punch to the attack, but also sandpaper.

Ken Holland will have to send some salary to Philly if he wants to trade for his services, as the Oilers have a current cap space of just over $5 million, but it’s certainly doable.

William Nylander, in Toronto to stay?

Of all the rumours about transactions and player movements, the situation in Toronto is probably the most talked-about in the coming months.

After all, since Dubas’ dismissal, we know that there could be big changes in store for the Leafs, even if the organization seems intent on keeping the “Core Four” intact.

The possibilities are endless. But…

It seems the chances of William Nylander jumping ship are slim to none.

The same can be said for Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and John Tavares, according to Darren Dreger’s latest report:

I find it surprising that the Leafs are still trying to “make things work” with the group that’s already in place. Why would they do that?

Because the “Core Four” never helped the team get to the next level. At some point, someone somewhere is going to have to face the fact that it’s just not working…

But that time hasn’t come yet, obviously.

Brad Treliving will have some choices to make: either he insists on building his team around the four high-earning forwards to give them another shot at the Stanley Cup, or he decides to stir the pot by trading one of the four players to spread the money around.

It’s up to him.

In gusto

– I love it.

Cole loves the city of Montreal, says Momma Caufield 😊

👇👇👇 pic.twitter.com/3yesTldNWN

– /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) June 13, 2023

– Nice little contract for Derek Ryan.

– Marchessault? Eichel? Stephenson?

– He helps the team in his own way even when he’s not playing.