Rumor: Oilers & Senators Close To Finalizing Trade

The Ottawa Senators have struggled this entire season, evidenced by their 16-22-7 record. They are reportedly in the midst of redesigning their rebuilding strategy, and Jean-Gabriel Pageau has been cut from their future plans. Pageau has been a lone force on the Ottawa Senators for quite some time. He has not had any offensive assistance until this season. The 27 year old has 19 goals and 11 assists in 45 games played this season. His cap hit of only $3.1 million makes him an extremely attractive rental player, as he's set to be a UFA on July 1st.

TSN's Pierre Lebrun has stated that some teams such as Boston and Philadelphia are interested in the services of Pageau. However, the Edmonton Oilers are frontrunners in the sweepstakes and are believed to be close to finalizing a deal with the Senators.

Acquiring the forward would allow Draisaitl and McDavid to share some of the offensive responsibility and lighten their load significantly. It has not yet been reported who will be exchanged in this deal, but Craig Custance of The Athletic believes a 2nd or 3rd round draft pick and a young prospect is the current market value for Pageau.