6 goalies the Edmonton Oilers could realistically trade for
The Edmonton Oilers have found themselves in familiar territory for the third-straight season.
A poor start to the year and underwhelming goaltending have once again led to intense speculation that the Oilers need to make a trade for a new netminder. Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard have not done much to calm the waters through the first month of the new season, and frustration is starting to peak.
Edmonton currently ranks among the NHL’s worst teams in terms of save percentage, and both goaltenders have posted mediocre-to-poor individual results. If this trend continues, Oilers GM Stan Bowman may have no other choice but to finally trade for a new goalie.
But where could he possibly look for a solution? The Oilers will be hard-pressed to find a bona fide superstar goalie available on the trade market, but some options could be out there.
Here are six realistic trade targets that could help improve Edmonton’s goaltending.
1. Juuse Saros, Nashville Predators
Age: 30
Cap hit: $5 million this season, then moves to $7.74 million until 2032-33.
2025-26 stats: 5-6-3, .892 SV%, -0.9 GSAx
The biggest fish potentially available to the Oilers would be Juuse Saros of the Nashville Predators.
There is no concrete evidence that the Predators are actively shopping Saros, but with the team off to another brutal start, it’s not out of the question that a fire sale is incoming. Their biggest piece in a potential sell-off would be the 30-year-old Saros.
The Finnish goaltender is coming off the worst season of his career last year and is off to another iffy start once again, but that’s behind a struggling Nashville squad. Before then, Saros was regarded as one of the best goalies in the NHL and had been a finalist for the Vezina four years ago.
Saros makes $5 million for this season, but an eight-year deal kicks in at the start of next season. This means that the Oilers would be making a significant commitment if they were to trade for him.
Edmonton doesn’t have a ton of trade chips, but this would be the biggest, realistic swing that GM Stan Bowman could make to upgrade the goaltending.
2. Ukko-Pekka Lukkonen, Buffalo Sabres
Age:Ā 26
Cap hit: $4.75 million (UFA-2029)
2025-26 stats: 1-1-1, .877 SV%, -2.3 GSAx
The player most in need of a fresh start on this list might be Ukko Pekka Luukkonen of the Buffalo Sabres.
The big Finn’s career seemed to start great with the Sabres, but the last two seasons have seen a bit of a fall-off. Buffalo is once again off to another bad start and has a bit of a logjam at the goalie position with all of UPL, Colton Ellis, and Alex Lyon on the NHL roster. That isn’t even mentioning Devon Levi in the AHL.
Something will have to give, and it feels like Luukkonen could be on his way out. The numbers over the past few seasons aren’t great, but again, it’s behind a bad team. It’d be a bit of a risky move for the Oilers, but one that could yield great results.
3. Cam Talbot, Detroit Red Wings
Age:Ā 38
Cap hit: $2.5 million (UFA-2026)
2025-26 stats: 5-2-0, .891 SV%, +1.8 GSAx
If Edmonton wants to put a Band-Aid on the crease, organizing a Cam Talbot reunion might be their best bet.
At 38 years old, Talbot will not be the long-term solution anywhere he plays. It seems a bit redundant for the Oilers to look for a short-term fix when they need to find some stability between the pipes, but if they don’t wanna pay the price, he might be the only viable option out there.
Talbot has been a consistent performer over the course of his career, putting up a save percentage above .900 in five of his last six seasons. He got the start in 47 games with the Detroit Red Wings and is on an affordable $2.5-million deal for the remainder of the season.
Detroit already has John Gibson and young Sebastian Cossa, who will be pushing for NHL time soon.
If he can get hot at the right time, he has the potential to help give the Oilers the league-average goaltending they desperately need.
4. Elvis Merzlikins, Columbus Blue Jackets
Age:Ā 31
Cap hit: $5.4 million (UFA-2027)
2025-26 stats: 4-3-0, .908 SV%, +5.0 GSAx
It feels like Elvis Merzlikins has been on the trade market for a few years at this point, but could the Oilers get something done for him?
Merzlikins has been a hard goaltender to pin down. The Latvian had a great start to his career with the Columbus Blue Jackets, but the past three seasons have been ugly. He’s averaged a .888 SV% over that time and is now battling for the Blue Jackets’ starting job with youngster Jet Greaves. All the while carrying a $5.4-million cap hit through next season, which a lot of teams would prefer not to touch.
The 31-year-old is off to a better start this time around and could have his highest value in recent memory. Would the Oilers want to risk paying up for Merzlikins if they could get Columbus to retain?
5. Arvid Soderblom, Chicago Blackhawks
Age: 26
Cap hit: $2.75 million (UFA-2027)
2025-26 stats:Ā 2-2-1, .913 SV%, +4.5 GSAx
Arvid Soderblom’s career trajectory has been the reverse of some of the other guys on this list.
Instead of starting hot and tapering off, it appears that the Swede is getting better with time. That shouldn’t be too much of a surprise, as he’s played on a terrible Chicago Blackhawks squad for the past four seasons.
Soderblom has been relegated to the backup role in Chicago since the acquisition of Spencer Knight, and he’s looked much better with a limited workload. It remains to be seen if he can emerge as a legitimate starting goalie, but the potential for a tandem spot is intriguing.
He was also initially brought over to the NHL by Bowman, indicating some familiarity between Soderblom and the Oilers’ GM.
6. Tristan Jarry, Pittsburgh Penguins
Age:Ā 30
Contract: $5.37 million (UFA-2028)
2025-26 stats: 5-2-0, .911 SV%, +4.8 GSAx
It wasn’t long ago that many thought Tristan Jarry’s time in the NHL was coming to an end.
The former Edmonton Oil Kings goaltender has fallen on tough times with the Pittsburgh Penguins, after years of being their de facto starter. His fall in play led to his being put on waivers last season and a stint in the AHL. His expensive cap hit made him untouchable for most teams, but that may be changing.
Arturs Silovs is the new starting goalie for the Pens, but Jarry is off to a wicked start. That could reignite trade interest in him if Pittsburgh is willing to retain. The acquisition cost would also be fairly low, or at least that’s what you would think.
Jarry could be a bargain option for the Oilers if they want to take a bit of a risk.