Edmonton Oilers may need to move on from defenceman to become cap-compliant
It was a long overdue occurrence, but the Edmonton Oilers made it to the Stanley Cup final this past season and even if they fell short of capturing Lord Stanleys' cup, there is now a strong belief amongst fans and the Oilers organization itself that if it happened once, it can happen again.
But with the team being approximately $354,000 over the salary cap, how can this be possible without some fenagling by interim general manager Jeff Jackson who assumed the role in late June after Ken Holland left the organization?
The easy answer would be to know the status of left winger Evander Kane who was dealing with an obvious hip injury during the finals and determine whether he can be put on LTIR which would free up approximately $5.125 million or a better and easier option to trade defenceman Cody Ceci who is on the books for $3.25 million.
While trading Kane has been a topic of discussion since the middle of last season, it's not likely possible with his current injury status. It is common knowledge that Kane can be a bad teammate and his play was rather inconsistent during the last campaign. Ceci on the other hand had a resurgence of sorts this past season. Moving him may make more sense as he could have a lineup of suitors who are looking for that right-shot defenceman with low term and will become a UFA after this season. It's a low gamble, potentially high reward move that could elevate a team looking for a player that Ceci can offer.
If the Oilers were to rid themselves of Ceci, could they find someone to step into the role that Ceci played so well? The Oilers will likely have to move him to become cap-compliant.
| POLL | ||
How should the Edmonton Oilers get to cap compliance? | ||
| Trade Cody Ceci | 22 | 29.7 % |
| Put Evander Kane on LTIR | 45 | 60.8 % |
| Other(suggest in comments) | 7 | 9.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
