Report: Oilers dangling No. 3 pick, Sam Gagner in pursuit of immediate help

The Edmonton Oilers recognize that they need to improve down the middle and along the blue-line to compete with the heavyweights in the Pacific Division. It's why they traded for Nikita Nikitin. It's why Oilers brass will meet with Mark Fayne's camp on Thursday. It's why the club is dangling some major assets in pursuit of a centerman, a defenseman, or the No. 1 overall draft pick.

"They're very active," reports TSN's Darren Dreger of the Oilers' posture on the trade market ahead of this weekend's entry draft. "They're throwing out some considerable assets as well; we know that the Oilers' third overall pick is very much in play. And Sam Gagner's name seems to surface annually at the draft, he's also trade bait for Edmonton."

If the Oilers are offering the third overall pick in exchange for immediate help at center or along the blue-line, that would surely be of interest to any number of NHL teams. As for Gagner, his name most recently surfaced in trade rumors suggesting that he might be the centerpiece of a potential R.J. Umberger trade. That should probably tell you about everything you need to know about his market value at this point...