NHL Trade Speculation: 5 Trades for Ales Hemsky the Oilers Should Consider

First off, I'd like to say I've thought Ales Hemsky has been as professional and as good of an Edmonton Oiler there has been during his nine years with the club.

He's been oft-injured since the 2009/10 season, but 406 points in 512 NHL games is nothing to scoff at.The Oilers are struggling, and it has the fans wondering if GM Steve Tambellini has a shake-up in order to try to turn things around.

Tambellini is in the driver's seat as Hemsky will be a hot commodity leading up to the trade deadline. Hemsky is an impending unrestricted free agent and will garner a lot of attention from teams looking to add scoring.

If the Oilers are to deal Hemsky, here are five trades they should consider:

*Note, though the LA Kings could use some help, I've left them off because I doubt Dean Lombardi is interested in doing business with the Oilers.

Washington Capitals

Offer: Dmitry Orlov and Stanislav Galiev for Ales Hemsky

The Capitals haven't been the same this season, mostly because the Russian machine, aka Alexander Ovechkin, hasn't been up to par. Fans are demanding a finals appearance from this Washington crew that George McPhee has put together.

Expect major changes if they don't make a nice playoff run.

Giving up Orlov on the back end doesn't hurt the Caps as much because of rising defensemen John Carlson and Karl Alzner—and don't forget about Mike Green.

Galiev is a promising winger with a lot of offensive ability. This move just continues to stockpile assets for the Oilers while the Caps get a guy who can make a difference in their top six.

Boston Bruins

Offer: Tuukka Rask for Ales Hemsky and Devan Dubnyk

This is probably the 10th time I've mentioned this type of proposal before, but here it goes again. The Bruins are playing some great hockey right now, so they may be content with the players in their locker room.

But if one of their top six forwards goes down for an extended period of time, they may look to acquire a player like Hemsky.

The Oilers desperately need a franchise goalie. Tuukka Rask fits the bill and is ready to be a starter in this league. Dubnyk goes back the other way to give Tim Thomas, who hasn't shown any signs of slowing down, some insurance.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Offer: Joe Morrow for Ales Hemsky and Teemu Hartikainen

With the uncertainty regarding Sidney Crosby's return, the Penguins could use an extra body in their top six. Lets face it, if the Penguins are to win the Stanley Cup this season, Matt Cooke belongs on their third or fourth line, not their second.

The Pens have a ton of talent on the back end, and while Morrow is a favourite of the Pens brass, the Oilers would ask for nothing less than Joe Morrow. It'd be interesting to see what type of output Hemsky and Evgeni Malkin on the same team could produce.

Teemu Hartikainen would be a welcome addition on a Pens team in need of some depth at forward.

Detroit Red Wings

Offer: Calle Jarnkrok and Detroit's first-round pick for Ales Hemsky

Imagine this line:

Franzen - Datsyuk - Hemsky...not bad? The Oilers would ask for Brendan Smith but I doubt the Wings would budge since they've taken a lot of time and effort in developing this kid.

So Jarnkrok it is.

He's been slightly overshadowed by Tomas Tatar, Gustav Nyquist and Teemu Pulkkinen as the feature prospects in the Wings' system, but the kid from Sweden has talent.

The first-round pick will most likely range from 25th to 30th overall, but it would be a welcome addition to the Oilers' assets.

Buffalo Sabres

Offer: Jhonas Enroth and Marc-Andre Gragnani for Ales Hemsky and Olivier Roy

With Ryan Miller signed until the 2013/14 season, there does not appear to be much chance for Jhonas Enroth to be a starter in Buffalo during that time period.

Enroth would immediately get an opportunity to show what he's got in Edmonton (Oilers trade Nikolai Khabibulin in the meantime to TB). M-A Gragnani would also be a nice immediate addition to the Oilers' blue line.

Now with all this being said, these aren't rumours—they are simply ideas of what the Oilers could be looking at if they were to deal Ales Hemsky.

Readers are going post, "this is an overpayment" or "Hemsky is overrated" but one final note: The reasoning behind Hemsky's price tag is because all of these interested teams may drive up the price.