10 goalies the Edmonton Oilers missed out on acquiring over the years
How often are goalies readily available to trade for or sign in the NHL?
For fans of the Edmonton Oilers, it feels like it never happens, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. With questions swirling around the position for what feels like the billionth time, speculation on what the team could do to fix things is always met with the same, tired question:
“There are no good options available. What do you want them to do?”Ā
It’s a fair assumption on the surface. Good goaltenders are exactly growing on trees and, for the most part, teams that have one tend to hold onto them for dear life. Saying that there are no good options is a fine enough excuse, but this isn’t a new problem for the Oilers.
Good options have arisen plenty of times throughout the last five or so seasons, all of which changed to teams other than the Oilers. In these cases, management either tried and failed to acquire the goaltender or decided to ignore the option in favour of what they have now.
The result was sticking with the tandem of Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard, which has looked suspect at best this season. So, who are the goaltenders that Edmonton has missed out on?
Here is a list of 10 of the most prominent:
1. John Gibson, Detroit Red Wings
The biggest goalie to get traded this past offseason was John Gibson, who went from the Anaheim Ducks to the Detroit Red Wings.
Gibson was coming off a renaissance season last year and had a solid track record as a solid starting goalie. He is off to a disappointing start in Detroit, with a 4-5-0 record and .882 SV%.
2. Darcy Kuemper, LA Kings
In the summer of 2022, the Oilers had a choice between signing either Jack Campbell or Darcy Kuemper in free agency, and they chose the former.
That mistake would blow up in their face as Campbell would be bought out after two seasons, while Kuemper found himself in the Vezina conversation last season.
3. Petr Mrazek, Anaheim Ducks
Petr Mrazek has played for three different teams over the last year or so, but none of those stops came in Edmonton.
He’s not the flashiest goalie, but he has put up consistent numbers playing for some mediocre teams. Mrazek would certainly be an upgrade on Pickard, you would think.
4. MacKenzie Blackwood, Colorado Avalanche
When the Colorado Avalanche got bad goaltending to start next year, they swung for the fences to change it.
They got MacKenzie Blackwood from the Sharks, who was putting up decent numbers on a horrible team, and reaped the benefits. Blackwood was among the steadiest goalies last year and would have done wonders for this Oilers club.
5. Spencer Knight, Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks secured their goalie of the future by swapping Seth Jones for Spencer Knight in a trade with the Florida Panthers last season.
Knight has since proven to be one of the most promising young goalies in the league. Could the Oilers have put together a package to challenge that? Would the Panthers have helped Edmonton like that? We’ll never know.
6. Yaroslav Askarov, San Jose Sharks
The Nashville Predators chose Juuse Saros over Yaroslav Askarov and traded the latter to the Sharks.
At the time, Askarov was seen as one of the best goaltenders not getting consistent time in the NHL. The package to get him out of Nashville consisted of two prospects and a conditional first, which could have been within Edmonton’s means.
7. Logan Thompson, Washington Capitals
Logan Thompson seemed to be close to breaking out with the Vegas Golden Knights a few seasons ago, before being shipped to the Washington Capitals for a couple of third-round picks.
Since then, the 28-year-old has popped off in the U.S. capital and is now one of the best goalies in the NHL early into this season.
8. Jacob Markstrom, New Jersey Devils
There were two instances where the Oilers could have secured Jacob Markstrom.
The first came in the summer of 2020, when they nearly got a contract across the finish line before the Calgary Flames swooped in to steal him. The second was when the Flames were looking to trade him in the summer of 2024, ultimately doing so to the New Jersey Devils.
That first time stung; the second time may have been impossible with Craig Conroy running the Flames.
9. Linus Ullmark, Ottawa Senators
Linus Ullmark looked like a perfect fit for the Oilers in the summer of 2021, but Edmonton opted to ink Mike Smith to an extension instead.
The result was Ullmark rising to become one of the best goalies in the NHL, while Smith faded into retirement just a few seasons later.
10. Scott Wedgewood, Colorado Avalanche
Scott Wedgewood wasn’t much to scoff at just a season ago, but he has turned into a stellar backup/tandem goalie.
The Avalanche picked in a trade with Nashville for a middling goaltender and a sixth round pick. Now, Wedgewood is putting up some crooked stats just over a month into the new season.