My cat heard the same thing.
But it does make some sense.
But not really, the org is high on Darnell Nurse, they love the game he plays and love that he wants to be an Oiler, as much as OP claims Bob mentioning stuff as proof, Bob is a MASSIVE nurse supporter and warns fans about casting him off.
The JP stuff I don’t believe, Mcdavid and him barely played together and their numbers were actually decent when they did. Management and players have always praised on how Mcdavid drives that team and leads on the ice, OEL is a very similar leader, also not a loud guy in the room by all accounts, this is why EDM brought in Neal/Smith last year.
The only part that makes any sense is that OEL would like to play for Tippett again, he had some of his best seasons, and apparently guys love playing for him. I could see his visit to the EDM bubble as persuasion in that maybe the weather isn’t so bad, but he’s in for a shock come Dec. Going from having an, allegedly really nice place, in AZ to Edmonton would be a difference.
Also only part I believe is the CGY getting involved because Edmonton was. CGY has done this multiple times, the Hamilton deal was literally a barely worse deal then EDM, but Boston went with Calgary just because Chia worked in EDM. Calgary has a very well documented history of getting into deals because their rival is rumored over there.