Trade Alert: Oilers and Hurricanes pull off a minor deal

This just in from Carolina Hurricanes insider Michael Smith, the Hurricanes have acquired goaltender Dylan Wells from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Future Considerations.

the 23 year old netminder who did not play during the 2020-21 season is a pending restricted free agent and if sent a qualifying offer he would meet the requirements the Hurricanes need to expose a goaltender for the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft. In other words, Wells is basically just name on a paper to the 'Canes and will be available to the Seattle Kraken should they be interested in his services.

It's expected that Hurricanes GM Don Waddell will protect breakout sensation Alex Nedeljkovic in the Expansion Draft on July 21st.

As for Wells, the St. Catherines, Ontario native was selected by the Oilers in the 5th round (123rd overall) of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. After a stellar four year career with the OHL's Peterborough Petes, Wells signed with the Oilers and played parts of three seasons split between the AHL's Bakersfield Condors and the ECHL's Wichita Thunder. Frankly, he has struggled at both levels and he doesn't look to be like a legitimate NHL prospect at this point on his development.

The most likely scenario for Wells is that the Hurricanes qualify him, expose him in the draft and the Kraken pass on him for someone else from the Hurricanes' roster. Wells is then free to pursue other pro options in North America or explore free agency overseas in Europe or the KHL.

Meanwhile the Oilers won't miss Wells for a moment. The team already has veterans Mikko Koskinen and Alex Stalock under contract for 2021-22 and it's expected that 39 year old Mike Smith will re-sign with the team once free agency opens. Beyond that the Oilers have youngsters Stuart Skinner, Olivier Rodrigue and Ilya Konovalov holding down the fort in the AHL and ECHL. Skinner and Rodrigue split the 2020-21 campaign for the Condors with Skinner getting 31 starts and Rodrigue getting 11 in his first pro season. The 22 year old Skinner actually managed to get him a one game NHL call up for the Oilers in February, earning his first career win.