A tweet from CSN Philly’s Tim Panaccio:
Told today Flyers are talking with EDM about Eberle
— Tim Panaccio (@tpanotchRET) November 8, 2013
Eberle, of course, would be Jordan Eberle, the 23-year-old winger who had 34 goals for Edmonton in 2011-12 and is signed through 2018-19 with a cap hit of $6,000,000.
Why would the Oilers be willing to trade a kid like that? Well, lots of reasons. First, nothing’s free and Edmonton needs lots of stuff. Like, say, a young forward that’s been praised in the past for his defensive play? Sean Couturier would fit that description. Or how about a big defensive defenseman who can log over 20 minutes a game? Braydon Coburn would fit that description.
The Oilers may also secretly think Eberle’s 34-goal season is unlikely to be replicated, given his shooting percentage was 18.9 that season. (For more on that, click here. It’s been a rather popular topic with Oilers bloggers.)
Yes, trading Eberle would be a bold move for general manager Craig MacTavish. But remember, that’s exactly what the “man of action” promised in April -- he was going to do “bold things.”
PS -- Flyers owner Ed Snider didn’t sound too impressed with the Flyers’ 3-0 loss to the Devils last night.
Snider on last night: "The effort was pathetic. We were losing battles along the boards and can't continue to be a team that can't score."
— Dave Isaac (@davegisaac) November 8, 2013