Edmonton Oilers not expected to trade for goalie right now: report

A loss on Thursday night to the Columbus Blue Jackets sparked a goaltending debate for the Edmonton Oilers once again.

Despite only giving up 25 shots, the Oilers fell to the Blue Jackets by a 5-4 final, dropping their record to 8-7-4. Getting the start was Calvin Pickard, who now sports an awful 4.17 GAA along with an .830 SV% through seven appearances.

Stuart Skinner has been the better of the two, but has struggled at times in his own right. He has a 2.75 GAA and a rather disappointing .889 SV% in 13 games. It seems quite clear to everybody that this is something the Oilers need to address, but according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, GM Stan Bowman is still very hesitant to do so.

“I do think the Oilers have looked at all this,” Friedman said on Oilers Now. “They look at things like what it’s going to cost to get someone. For the trades [Bowman] thinks he can make… he doesn’t think it’s worth it.”

In one sense, it’s good to see that the Oilers aren’t panicking despite a slow start to the season. They currently sit tied points-wise for a wild-card spot with 20. Last season on this exact date, they were one point back of a wild-card spot with 16. Slow starts are nothing new for this team, and they’ve proven in the past that they can dig themselves out of it.

On the flip side, the Oilers pulling themselves out of these tough spots has often been in spite of their goaltending, not because of it.

As is often said, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. That sums up the Oilers well when it comes to their goalie situation. The proof is in the pudding that this tandem isn’t good enough, but they still remain reluctant to make a change.

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