Yes, I do. I think they will take a second run at a Cup with both superstar players rather than trade him early and wonder if they might have won in June 2025 with both superstars instead of praying at the altar of the asset management gods.
Edmonton's window exists while both players are Oilers. Maybe that's another 10 years. Maybe it's coming far quicker than that. I don't think they will accept just this one kick at the can and then pack it in, selling him for futures rather than ensuring one more guaranteed playoff run, and maybe seeing if he has a change of heart between the 2025 trade deadline and July 2025.
Much changes if they win the Cup in June 2024, of course. Yet if he's moving on, the Oilers become a much less dynamic club. That's worth going for it with expiring contracts instead of recouping assets. Contenders don't engage in asset management. They load up with pending UFAs and then spend the cap space in the summer. This would just be keeping their own UFA to make another run.
