LOS ANGELES — The dream has always been the three of them — Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins — hoisting a Stanley Cup at centre ice, sharing in hockey’s ultimate joy and reflecting on all the hard miles it took to get there.

That’s not going to happen.

Whether the Edmonton Oilers will ever win another Stanley Cup remains a continuing debate between the optimists and pessimists (with the pessimists riding a 10-year winning streak), but if the latest rebuild ever culminates in a championship, it won’t include all three former cornerstones.

The end of an era is upon them.

“For sure, (winning a Cup with them) was the dream, they’re great guys and great friends,” said Hall, adding they are all well aware that the core of this team is on the verge of being dismantled.

“I could be gone, it could be Jordan, it could be Nuge. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but the fact of the matter is that nobody, aside from Connor (McDavid), has played well enough to solidify a spot on this team, and everyone realizes that.”

There has been external speculation and rumour before, that one of Edmonton’s key pieces could be moved to fill a hole somewhere else, but this isn’t that. This time GM Peter Chiarelli came out and said the Oilers will actually be entertaining offers.

Edmonton Oilers GM says he’s open to trading Hall, Eberle, Nugent-Hopkins

Odds are at least one of them is playing his final 20 games as an Oiler.

“Everyone has kind of heard that they might or they will (shake up the core),” Hall said in the before Thursday’s game in the Staples Centre. “Certainly nothing is in stone until it happens, but the fact is we’re not where we want to be. If we were closer to a playoff spot, or in one, I don’t think he’d be saying those things. It’s all because we haven’t played the way we can.

“Everyone is accountable, everyone knows there’s a target on their back. I don’t think anyone is safe.”

In their hearts, they knew this day would be coming if things didn’t start moving in the right direction.

“I always get the sympathy phrase, ‘You guys are close,’ ” said Hall. “I’ve been getting that for six years now and it’s pretty frustrating. I do think we’re close, but when you’re in 30th place …”

When you’re in 30th place, after winning four of the previous six draft lotteries, something has to change. The Oilers replaced their management, their scouts and multiple head coaches. Next stop: The heart of the team.

Eberle’s heard his name dangled before, just never by somebody with the authority to actually move him. He’s never heard a coach say “maybe we need to bring in some new players.”

So, no, it doesn’t feel good. Neither does another year in the cellar.

“It’s not fun, it wears on you, nobody wants to be labelled as a loser,” he said. “We’ve talked about it. It’s something we’re not happy about and it’s something we want to change.”

It sounds like the players’ opportunity to change things from within has come and gone. Chiarelli and head coach Todd McLellan had over 60 games to evaluate what they have here and both seem to agree that significant change is absolutely necessary.

“It’s no surprise,” said Eberle. “We’re not where we want to be and haven’t been for a long time.

“That being said, we don’t know what’s going to happen. There’s no point in sitting around trying to guess. We’ve always been in the same situation the last five or six years, losing guys at the deadline, changes being made, and guys do start to worry about it, but there’s nothing you can do.

“You can play really well and your trade value goes up. Or you play really bad and it goes the other way (they want to get rid of you). There’s nothing you can do. Just compete and play to the best of your ability and see what happens.”

Some might think the threat of being traded away from a team that’s about to miss the playoffs for the 10th year in a row is no threat at all, that they can’t wait to escape this mess and play for a winner. It’s not the case. They love it here and really want to see this thing through, see what it’s like to be a winner in Edmonton.

“I’ve said all along I love playing here and I want to be here,” said Eberle. “There is nothing that would make me happier than being here when we start winning. Because I know how this city can be.”

Hall has seen the fans in Edmonton at their best, not very often, mind you, but enough to know that it could be here if the team was ever as good as its crowd.

“I’ve seen it for maybe two games in my whole career in Edmonton where they’ve actually had reason to be excited, and they were,” he said, adding it’s a shame they haven’t been able to deliver more. “It’s been tough. There’s some good times ahead, but it’s been tough.”

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rtychkowski@postmedia.com