Edmonton Oilers Linked to Montreal Canadiens' Trade Target

Losing Philip Broberg to the St. Louis Blues on an offer sheet this past summer is continuing to prove to be an issue for the Edmonton Oilers this season. Broberg proved in the latter stages of the playoffs that he was ready to take on a notable role on the blueline.

The Oilers are still figuring out how to complete their defense mix to make them a true Cup contender again this year. Numerous trade candidates have been suggested, and the latest comes to us from insider Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal.

While pondering a question about the possibility of an Oilers' interest in Montreal Canadiens veteran D-man David Savard, Matheson called him a 'Plan C' option, and had this to say instead:

In truth, the Oilers would rather have his Habs’ teammate Mike Matheson (with some salary retained, even if the price would be higher) because he’s a better puck-mover, can play both sides on D and he has another year on his contract ($4.875m AAV) after this one.

No relation to the beat writer, Matheson has been a workhorse on the Habs blueline the past three seasons, and the top-pairing defenseman is averaging 24:00 ice time this year, while recording 14 points in 22 games, along with 52 blocked shots.

Last season, he finished 9th among all defensemen in the NHL with 62 points. The 30-year-old is not someone that Montreal is anxious to give up, but, per insider Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, his value will be at an all-time high at this year's deadline, with another year under control at a reasonable salary. Seravalli ranks him as the 13th most likely player to be moved on his latest trade board.