EDMONTON — When you’re at the bottom rung of the National Hockey League ladder, it’s pretty obvious you’re a seller at the trade deadline — especially with guys who can walk away on July 1, no strings attached.

Which brings us to Jeff Petry. The Edmonton Oilers defenceman is in the prime of his career, but he’s due to become an unrestricted free agent following this season.

The clock’s ticking loudly on Petry — if there’s no traction on a long-term deal from his side or from Oilers general manager Craig MacTavish, he’s out the door by the trade deadline March 5, 21 games from now.

Chances are he’ll head to the Detroit Red Wings or to the Pittsburgh Penguins or to any team looking for one of those rare birds: a right-handed shooting defenceman who can skate and who has lots left on his odometer at age 27.

Rentals, outside big names such as Jarome Iginla when he left Calgary for Pittsburgh, normally bring back second-round draft picks or prospects at the deadline, but if a team feels they can sign a player before July 1, often they’ll give up more than one piece. Petry doesn’t want to think about the trade deadline, though.

“It’s a good environment to be around right now. We’re excited to come to the rink every day. I’m here now and I like it,” said Petry, who knows his name is in every trade rumour. “It’s out of my control. I’ve seen it (UFA’s traded), but it’s the first time I’ve gone through the situation”

As the Oilers head to St. Louis to kick off a four-game road trip on Tuesday against the Blues, half-a-dozen teams could be circling around Petry because defenceman are always the hottest item at trade deadline time.

If the team wanting Petry had the feeling he’d sign there rather than go the free-agent route July 1, Petry might probably fetch two pieces (a draft pick and a good prospect).

Not that Petry wants to look that far ahead — he’s a next-shift kind of guy, not a next week or next month surveyor.

The puck is very much in Petry’s bag, though; only he knows if he’s tired of all these Oilers rebuilds and the mounting mountain of losses after being the team’s top pick (second round) in 2006.

Maybe it’s only a coincidence, but Petry’s most complete game in weeks came last Tuesday when his hometown Red Wings were here, and Detroit coach Mike Babcock, who craves a rightie on the back-end, was certainly watching.

It seems incongruous that the Oilers, with holes on their back-end, would want Petry going somewhere else unless they had a built-in replacement in their system as Matt Greene was ready to replace Jason Smith so he got moved to Philly.

But the Oilers can’t let him walk for free, either. He’s a Top 3 minute-muncher on their team, playing more than 21 minutes a night, often against the other team’s top guns. The Oilers have Darnell Nurse coming, maybe next season, and Martin Marincin is on the farm, but by any measure, Petry is a solid NHL defenceman.

On a Cup contender, he would probably be a No. 5.