4 goalies that the Edmonton Oilers could still trade for
We are halfway through July and the Edmonton Oilers still haven’t made a significant change to their goaltending situation.
The only move made in that department was letting prospect Olivier Rodrigue go in free agency and signing AHLer Matt Tomkins to a cheap one-year deal. While Tomkins has six games of NHL experience, the 31-year-old Edmonton native is likely bound for the AHL next season.
Both Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard are in line to be the Oilers’ goaltending tandem for the third-straight season, unless GM Stan Bowman has something up his sleeve. The Oilers are still looking around for a goalie, having been in on Vancouver Canucks goalie ArtÅ«rs Å ilovs before he was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Other premium options, such as John Gibson, Alex Lyon, and Jake Allen, have already signed or been traded. It’s likely that if the Oilers get a new goalie in the mix, it’ll have to be on the cheaper side of things and for a less established player.
Here are five options that could still potentially be available and fit that criteria:
1. Nico Daws, New Jersey Devils
Age: 24
2024-25 stats: 3-1-0, .939 SV% (AHL: 11-20-2, .893 SV%)
Cap hit: $812,000 (RFA-2026)
A name that has been in the rumour mill of late has been Nico Daws of the New Jersey Devils.
The German goaltender appeared in just six NHL games last season, but fared pretty well. He allowed just seven goals in those games and even recorded his first-ever NHL shutout. Going into the 2025-26 season, it doesn’t appear that a full-time gig with the Devils is in the cards with both Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen forming the NHL tandem.
He’s inexperienced, but he’s shown some potential at the NHL level. If the Devils want to part with him, he could be a buy-low candidate for the Oilers with lots of upside.
2. Arvid Soderblom, Chicago Blackhawks
Age:Ā 25
2024-25 stats:Ā Ā 10-18-7, .898 SV%
Cap hit: None (in salary arbitration)
There are plenty of dots connecting Chicago Blackhawks goalie Arvid Soderblom to the Oilers, especially recently.
Not only did Bowman bring Soderblom over to the NHL as an overseas signing back in 2021, but he also worked alongside new Oilers goalie coach Peter Aubry in Chicago as well. The 25-year-old didn’t have a great season, but he still posted better numbers than both Skinner and Pickard while playing on a bad Blackhawks team.
Spencer Knight is the starter of the future in Chicago, which would relegate Soderblom to a backup. His incoming salary arbitration will determine if he falls under the Oilers’ preferred price tag.
3. Ukk0-Pekka Lukkonen, Buffalo Sabres
Age:Ā 26
2024-25 stats:Ā 24-24-5, .887SV%
Cap hit: $4.75 million
Ukko-Pekka Lukkonen is neither unestablished nor is he cheap, but he may be the best goalie potentially available to the Oilers.
The Finnish goaltender is coming off a down season with the Buffalo Sabres and will now have two other goalies vying for the starter’s job in Alex Lyon and Devon Levi. The latter may still be a season away from graduating to the NHL full-time, but if he can, there will be a logjam in the Buffalo crease.
Lyon has also had a tendency to steal the net just about everywhere he goes. There are not a lot of established goalies who could be hitting the market, but UPL may be one of them.
4. Michael DiPietro, Boston Bruins
Age: 26
2024-25 stats: (AHL) 26-8-5, .927 SV%
Cap hit: $812,500 (UFA-2027)
If Michael DiPietro shakes loose from the Boston Bruins, the Oilers should be calling.
There is doubt, however, that could happen considering the Bruins recently extended DiPietro on a two-year extension. However, his path to the NHL seems a bit convoluted in Boston with Jeremy Swayman and Joonas Korpisalo presumably taking up both spots.
The 26-year-old was arguably the best goalie in the AHL last season and has been putting up some crooked numbers for a few consecutive seasons. If anybody is ready for a shot at the NHL, it’s probably DiPietro.
What better place to get a chance than in Edmonton?