The boys on TSN were talking about some potential trade opportunities coming up for the Oilers.  Given their current funk (hey, they’re worse than the Leafs!), the Oilers are clearly not going anywhere.  With no superstar-in-waiting, the immediate future doesn’t seem too bright either.

So they discuss the obvious choices, including Fernando Pisani, Ethan Moreau, Sheldon Souray, and Steve Staios, all of whom are prime candidates for a trade.  They’re too old to stick around for a serious rebuild, have reasonable contracts, and should be somewhat attractive to teams stocking up for the playoffs.

Then things get crazy, as they start talking about trading Andrew Cogliano in exchange for some draft picks.  Now, I don’t get to watch a lot of Oilers games, so I can’t speak first-hand to Cogliano’s play.  Having said that, he’s only 22 and he’s playing on a putrid team.  Is it really time to give up on him?  If I’m the Oilers, I’m prepared to resign Cogliano this summer.  He hasn’t lit the world on the fire, so he won’t demand a huge contract.  If he turns things around, great.  If not, well at least you didn’t trade away a potential game-breaker.

Despite not having a franchise saviour coming through the system, the Oilers do have some pretty talented youngsters on the way.  Both Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson (henceforth known as MPS) and Jordan Eberle have excelled on the international stage and should provide some much needed talent on the wing.

And let’s not forget that the Oil currently reside in last place in the NHL.  That guarantees them a top draft pick; unlike the Maple Leafs, the Oilers actually have their picks.

The future isn’t that bleak in Edmonton, but it will take some work.  As I told one long-time Oilers fan recently, it could be worse.  They could be the Leafs.