Edmonton Oilers reportedly nearing a major decision on the future of Corey Perry; could waivers be an option?

The Edmonton Oilers have a loaded forward group full of veterans, but now the question has been asked whether they may waive one for a young, emerging talent.

After making it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals last season, the Edmonton Oilers believe they are on the precipice of their first Cup victory since way back in 1990 under the stardom of Wayne Gretzky. While their top few lines are every bit as good as the Oilers of old, the depth isn't quite as strong, and with many veterans making up the bottom-six, the Oilers may now have a question to answer.

Throughout training camp, both Noah Philp and Raphael Lavoie have impressed the coaching staff and the rest of the team, and now the question has been raised, should the team waive Corey Perry to make room for their young names?

At 39-years of age, there's no way Perry will play in 70% or more of the Oilers games this season, and with Vasily Podkolzin impressing as well, this leaves the team in a tricky spot as to how they handle their blend of youth and experience in the bottom-six.

On one hand, moving Perry would allow the team to get much younger, and when Evander Kane is ready to return, they'll have several young names that they can switch out to fill out the lineup. On the other hand however, there are few players in the NHL more experienced than Perry, and even with Lavoie making the strongest case for an opening night spot, it doesn't ultimately make sense to permanently move on from Perry.

At this stage, the best move would be to waive another player from their lineup and push Perry to the 13th forward role, but given the new regime in Edmonton, absolutely anything could be on the table, so keep a close eye on this situation as the regular season draws ever closer.

Source: Oilers Daily
Edmonton Oilers face an interesting decision in waiving Corey Perry

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