An Oilers-focused account is sketching a Roman Josi package this morning, with Nashville getting Jake Walman, Isaac Howard and a first-round pick.
Nothing here is a report. No insider has tied the Oilers to the Predators captain, and the post comes from a fan account, nWo (@NewWorldOilers).
But the idea lands in the middle of real Josi noise. We covered the Roman Josi trade talks with Toronto on Friday, so the Predators' captain is clearly a name in circulation.
Josi is a legitimate reason for the chatter. The 36-year-old has 20 points in 17 games, and 11 of them are power-play assists. Nashville has won four straight and plays Tuesday in Los Angeles, so the Predators aren't selling off a lost season.
The post strings together a blue line of Josi, Evan Bouchard, Mattias Ekholm, Connor Murphy and Ty Emberson, with a name, Muk, that I can't place. Nashville would get Walman, Howard, Hutson and a first-round pick.
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nWo's version has Edmonton paying with a defenseman, a winger and a first-round pick, and it doesn't say which Hutson it means.
Would the Oilers really pay this price for Josi?
On the ice, the logic is easy to see. Walman has one point and a -8 rating in 11 games, and the Oilers gave him a deal worth about $7 million a year through 2032-33. Moving that contract would be a win by itself.
Howard is a different case. He's listed on injured reserve with a knee injury and is expected to be out until at least Nov. 17, and Isaac Howard's injury update from Mike Babcock already warned fans it would take time. He's 22, a former first-round pick and still on his entry-level deal, which is exactly the type of asset Nashville would want back.
Here's my opinion: a first-round pick on top of those two is too much for a 36-year-old with a contract that runs through 2027-28, at about $9 million a season. Josi is still producing, but Edmonton's blue line already has Bouchard at 31 points in 18 games and Ekholm at +21.
Murphy sits at -6 with 27 penalty minutes, and Emberson has two points in 14 games, so the bottom of the pairings is where an upgrade would actually show. That's an argument for a cheaper fix.
For Nashville, the sell is just as hard. Brunette's team is 8-4-5 and winning, and moving a captain who runs the power play in the middle of a streak would be a tough sell in that room.
The Oilers host nobody tonight, but the rumor mill won't wait. Josi's next look comes Tuesday in Los Angeles.
Quick hits
PHILADELPHIA FLYERS: Owen Tippett says the Flyers are "playing a little bit scared" after their 4-3 overtime loss in Calgary. That's a blunt thing to say publicly about your own room.
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TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS: Easton Cowan gave Toronto its only bright spot in Sunday's 4-0 loss to the Devils, and it started with a stick. Fans will take any positive on a night like that.
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NEW JERSEY DEVILS: The backlash over Connor Hellebuyck sitting out in Winnipeg keeps growing this morning, and Sunny Mehta's call is taking the heat.
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PITTSBURGH PENGUINS: Dan Kingerski posted this morning that Kris Letang was brutally honest after the Penguins' 5-2 loss in Anaheim. Those comments will be hard to ignore.
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BUFFALO SABRES: Elliotte Friedman has heard that the Sabres want in on Dylan Larkin, and that they want it bad. Another suitor changes the market.
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Should the Oilers give up Jake Walman, Isaac Howard and a first-round pick for Roman Josi?
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