Tonight a new report has confirmed that the Edmonton Oilers nearly made a blockbuster trade to bring a 13-year NHL veteran West from the New York Islanders. This week Stan Bowman and the Oilers front office have <a href='https://www.hockeylatest.com/nhl-team/edmonton-oilers/stan-bowman-facing-major-backlash-for-mishandling-one-huge-trade-at-the-deadline' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>received a lot of backlash for acquiring Trent Frederic</a> who still remains out due to injury. In the process of landing Frederic from the Boston Bruins, the Oilers used several high-priority assets including a second-round pick to get the deal done. <div align='center' class='pl20 pr20'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/EdmontonOilers/status/1896985124987871357'><div style='border:1px solid #CCCCCC;border-radius:10px;padding:20px;width:300px;'>Loading from Twitter ...</div></a></blockquote></div> With many looking back on this deal with regret already it has started a discussion of what could've been for the Oilers if they chose to spend those assets on a different trade. Tonight a new report has revealed that the Oilers and New York Islanders were deep in discussion around a trade involving forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau before the Frederic deal was completed. <h3>Edmonton Oilers Nearly Traded For 13-Year NHL Veteran From The Islanders</h3> According to a recent report from Mark D'Amico the Edmonton Oilers were intrigued by the idea of trading for Pageau. The fit appeared ideal for Oilers GM Stan Bowman, who was seeking to shore up the team's center depth with a longer-term option. Pageau especially with some salary retention would have provided the kind of reliable, two-way presence the team could count on for multiple playoff runs, bolstering their case to retain Connor McDavid long-term. Unfortunately for the Oilers, it seems that the Islanders were unwilling to retain any salary, and Edmonton's salary cap situation essentially halted all talks immediately. According to sources close to the situation, the Islanders ultimately decided against the trade for two key reasons. The first was their unwillingness to retain salary on Pageau's $5 million contract, which runs through the 2025-26 season. The second was a lack of interest in dealing veterans for a package centered around draft picks. This then led Bowman and the Oilers to pivot and acquire Frederic along with Max Jones which clearly has not been worth the assets the Oilers spent.