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Chiarelli open to using wealth of Oilers picks to get ‘game-ready players’

Peter Chiarelli

Peter Chiarelli

AP

It would be shocking if the Edmonton Oilers moved the first overall selection, but they have five other picks in the first three rounds, including the 16th overall from the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The topic of what new Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli’s plans are for the 16th, 33rd, and 57th overall picks specifically was raised on 630 CHED.

“I certainly would look at moving any of those picks for… something that would help us right now, but also that could grow with our organization, so relatively speaking a younger player. It’s good to have a lot of picks and develop players, but we also want to hit the ground running with some more game-ready players,” Chiarelli said, as transcribed by the Edmonton Journal.

He noted that discussions have been picking up and that should continue in the lead up to the June 26 draft.

Chiarelli is also be looking to bolster the team through the free agent market, even implying that he was prepared to overspend if it meant bolster the team. Given that Edmonton’s cap situation is favorable, there’s also the possibility that they could work with a team like Chicago, which will need to make some moves to get under the ceiling.

His predecessor, Craig MacTavish, was promising a “busy summer” in Edmonton. The Oilers have already had that in ways that MacTavish likely didn’t envision by getting a new bench boss in Todd McLellan and a new general manager. They might still end up seeing a significant amount of change in terms of their players as well.

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