Claude Giroux and Mike Babcock won't be teaming up in Edmonton, and that miss just pushed the Oilers into their next forward decision.
That is the clearest takeaway from Elliotte Friedman's update. Edmonton was in on Giroux, but it sounds like the Oilers are not getting him.
That matters because Giroux was not some random veteran name on the board. He looked like a clean fit for a team still trying to add one more smart forward to its middle six.
Now that option is gone.
And when a club swings on a player like Giroux and comes up empty, the next move matters even more because the roster hole does not disappear with the rumor.
Friedman's follow-up is what gives this story real bite. He openly wondered whether Edmonton could shift its attention to a player like Vladimir Tarasenko.
That makes sense right away. Tarasenko is still sitting there as a proven winger with finishing touch, and Edmonton still needs more help around Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
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Horrible news for the Oilers as another major offseason target slips away
This is where the Oilers file gets interesting. Giroux would have given Edmonton detail, faceoff help, and a veteran brain. Tarasenko would give them more of a shot threat and more direct scoring help.
That is a different type of add.
It also says something about how Babcock and Stan Bowman may be reading this roster. If Giroux was the first idea and Tarasenko is the pivot, then Edmonton clearly still wants another experienced forward, just with a different shape.
There is another layer here too.
Friedman also pointed out that the Oilers still need to sign Colton Dach. So this is not only about who Edmonton can add from outside. It is also about finishing business with one of its younger pieces before the whole forward picture settles.
That is why the Giroux miss lands a little harder than a normal free-agent whiff. Edmonton is not working with endless room or endless patience. Every move now affects the next one.
Tarasenko would be the obvious veteran pivot because the offensive fit is easy to see. He can still shoot it, still finish plays, and still help a contender that does not need him to drive the entire line.
But he is not Giroux.
That is the point. The Oilers had one kind of answer in mind, and now they may have to solve the same problem with a different player and a different style.
Edmonton was in on Claude Giroux. It is not getting Claude Giroux. Now the next move has to count.
Should the Oilers pivot hard to Vladimir Tarasenko after missing on Claude Giroux?
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