NHL insider suggests Oilers could move top 6 forward without trade protection

The Edmonton Oilers are still exploring all options to improve their team heading into the trade deadline, and one avenue may be through trading forward Viktor Arvidsson.

Previously this season Jeff Skinner was floated in trade rumours, but with his no-move clause, GM Stan Bowman has confirmed Skinner will be staying put.

Edmonton Oilers could move Viktor Arvidsson in salary cap dump trade

NHL insider Frank Seravalli recently suggested in a piece for Daily Faceoff that the Oilers could explore trading Arvidsson to free up cap space before the deadline, but incorrectly reported Arvidsson has a no-trade clause.

What happens if Evander Kane isn't going to remain on LTIR for the remainder of the regular season?

Short of moving a more established (expensive) roster player, such as Jeff Skinner or Viktor Arvidsson, both of whom have full 'no-trade' blocking capability, it will be difficult to add a true game-changer in that case.

- Frank Seravalli

While Jeff Skinner does seem intent on using his trade protection to stay in Edmonton, Viktor Arvidsson doesn't have any trade protection, and has had a disappointing season. If Kane returns early and the Oilers want to use him in the Top 6, they could trade Arvidsson to clear his $4M in salary.

The Fourth Period named each player on the Oilers with a no-trade clause, and Arvidsson is not one of them.

Could the Oilers move Viktor Arvidsson to clear salary cap space?

Victor Arvidsson is a 31 year old veteran of 586 NHL games, but is in the midst of one of the worst seasons of his career.

Unfortunately, it seems playing through injuries has affected Arvidsson this year, and despite playing mostly on the second line with Draisaitl this year, he's only scored 7 goals and 18 points in 40 games.

If the Oilers truly do believe Kane is coming back before playoffs and can make a bigger impact in their top six than Arvidsson, than reading the Swedish forward could give the team a much needed $4M to improve goaltending and defence.

We'll have to see if the Oilers make the uncomfortable decision to move on from a recent free agent signing.