Rumor: Oilers tried to deal a big piece in order to get rid of Milan Lucic.

The Edmonton Oilers appear desperate to move on from the failed Peter Chiarelli era.

By now we have all heard the rumors surrounding veteran Oilers bruiser Milan Lucic and his future within the Edmonton Oilers organization. The trade rumors that have swirled around Lucic have been rampant, and that is putting things mildly, and there is no question that his time as an Oiler has come to an end. Lucic has been linked to a number of teams over the last several months but the one rumor that has persisted has been the one linking him to the Vancouver Canucks. 

Those rumors have suggested that Lucic would, or could, be dealt to the Vancouver Canucks for veteran forward Loui Eriksson, another troubled forward in his own right. Eriksson has been a bad contract for the Canucks, much in the same way Milan Lucic has been for the Edmonton Oilers, and there has been a belief that the two Western Canadian organizations could help one another out by swapping one another's problems and giving each player a fresh start. The issue of course stems from the fact that Lucic, unlike Eriksson, must be protected in the upcoming expansion draft for the Seattle franchise that has yet to be named. That means a major headache for the team that controls Lucic and that means the Canucks would want something else in return to sweeten the deal in their favor. 

In a recent article for Sportsnet National Hockey League insider Elliotte Friedman revealed what that sweetener might be, and surprisingly enough it comes in the form of another failure of the Peter Chiarelli era. From Friedman:

Eriksson’s been linked to Milan Lucic for what, 18 months now? There is a belief Jesse Puljujarvi was added to that conversation at some point, but I don’t know where it stands. 

The thought of giving up on another high end first round draft selection probably does not sit well with the Oilers fan base at this time, but given how Puljujarvi has struggled his value is likely at an all time low. The former 4th overall pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft has managed to play just 139 NHL games since being selected, this in spite of the fact that the Oilers have seemingly been desperate for scoring forwards in their line up. Should he manage to turn his fortunes around however, something he reportedly wants to try and do somewhere outside the Oilers organization, this is a deal that could end up looking ugly for the Oilers.