Rather than claiming him on waivers, the Edmonton Oilers decided to trade for Derek Roy instead, sending Mark Arcobello to the Nashville Predators on Monday.
At first, it seems odd to do it this way, but there are a few reasons:
- HNIC’s Elliotte Friedman notes that Edmonton wanted to avoid hitting 50 contracts overall, something TSN’s Ryan Rishaug backs up. Friedman also wonders if there’s some minutiae involved regarding Leon Draisaitl’s free agent “timetable.”
- There was no salary retained in the deal, according to Friedman.
Roy, 31, carries a $1 million salary and is set to be a UFA after the 2014-15 season. He’s managed 10 points in 26 games in 2014-15, although he failed to score a point (or even register a shot on goal) in the last six contests. His possession stats are pretty unremarkable considering extremely cushy zone starts. As you likely know, Roy enjoyed some impressive peak years with the Buffalo Sabres, though those memories are starting to feel pretty distant.
Arcobello, 26, makes $600K this season. He’ll be a restricted free agent this summer. Arcobello has 12 points in 36 games so far and 78 games of NHL experience under his belt.