Edmonton Oilers GM Bowman pours cold water on goalie trade speculation

The Edmonton Oilers’ management group seems to be comfortable with their goaltending duo.

Many Oilers fans have been hoping to see GM Stan Bowman pull the trigger on a goalie ahead of the trade deadline. That hope (perhaps desperation) to acquire a goaltender has increased tenfold in the eyes of many, as Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard have had a rough go out of the 4 Nations Face-Off break.

Skinner, who owns a disappointing 2.81 GAA paired with a .898 SV% on the season, gave up five goals on 31 shots in Saturday’s 6-3 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. Pickard followed that up by allowing six goals on 33 shots in a 7-3 loss to the Washington Capitals the next day.

These same questions surrounding Skinner and Pickard were around last season, where the Oilers ultimately chose to stick with their duo. Based on a recent conversation Bowman had with Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, it appears they will be taking the same approach this time around.

“The Oilers, I think, only have room for one deal,” Seravalli said on yesterday’s Daily Faceoff Rundown. “I [talked] to Stan Bowman, and even went back and asked a further question and said, ‘Just for clarity, there seems to be some thought out there that you might get a goalie during the trade deadline,’ and he said, ‘No.'”

The goalie most mentioned as a target for the Oilers is John Gibson, though several others, including Jordan Binnington, have also been brought up.

If Bowman is being truthful in his answer, it would mean that the Oilers are either looking to improve their back end or perhaps add to their forward group. Both are areas that could use an upgrade.

On the blue line, the John Klingberg signing doesn’t seem to be working out. Adding a top-four defenceman to compliment the likes of Mattias Ekholm, Evan Bouchard, and Darnell Nurse would not only be massive but essential in the eyes of many.

Up front, few would have guessed that the Oilers would potentially be in the market for a scoring forward. The Viktor Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner signings were meant to address that issue, but neither have panned out as hoped.

The Oilers have exactly 10 more days to make a decision, as the trade deadline is set for 1 p.m. MT on March 7. It doesn’t seem as though it will be a goalie coming their way, though that could change if Skinner and Pickard continue to struggle over this next little stretch.

You might also like:
• Edmonton Oilers' Kane making steady progress in injury comeback