With the Oilers struggling to get past their rocky start to the season and back into a playoff spot, the team has been looking to the trade market for additional help. Earlier this week, Oilers scouts were spotted repeatedly at Columbus Blue Jackets games, leading to trade speculation with the team.
From Columbus, the Oilers were rumoured to be interested in defenceman Adam Boqvist and goaltender Elvis Merzlikins - who could ostensibly replace Phillip Broberg and the struggling Jack Campbell. However, disaster has now struck for the Blue Jackets and the Oilers.
Earlier today, the Blue Jackets announced that both Boqvist and Merzlikins will be placed on the injured reserve. Needless to say, this will delay any sort of trade process between the teams, and may put it off entirely if the Oilers aren't confident in the health of the Jackets' players. However, it is still possible a trade could be revisited later.
That said, the situation for the Oilers is relatively dire, and they need help from a trade as soon as possible. With Stanley cup aspirations and the two greatest players in the world, the Oilers can't afford to play games with Jack Campbell in net - as they're almost entirely guaranteed losses. Perhaps after these injuries, the Oilers will pivot their trade attention elsewhere.
