The Oilers need to shift their trade deadline focus to goaltending

Friday night’s 4-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild was another outing of less-than-stellar goaltending for the Edmonton Oilers.

Calvin Pickard, who made his third start in February, allowed three goals on just 19 shots, all of which were stoppable. It marks the eighth straight game in which the Oilers have had a save percentage (SV%) below .900. During that eight-game stretch, their team’s SV% is a pitiful .856.

Despite going on a great run during the Oilers’ 16-game winning streak, Stuart Skinner’s season numbers are rather pedestrian, as he owns a 2.66 GAA and a .903 SV%. Pickard’s 2.53 GAA and .905 SV% are only slightly better, yet mark the best stats he has posted at the NHL level since the 2015-16 campaign.

Given the uncertainty between the pipes, you would think addressing goaltending would be general manager Ken Holland’s top priority heading into the trade deadline. That isn’t the case, however, as the Oilers are said to first be looking at a top-six winger to play alongside Leon Draisaitl. If able, they hope to either make an addition on the blue line or add a third-line centreman.

While the Oilers could certainly use another top-six winger for Draisaitl, they have had no issues scoring, even when relying on Warren Foegele to play that role. Their 3.56 goals per game on the season is fifth in the league. Their team’s .900 SV%, however, is tied for 21st.

At this time last year, many questioned the Oilers goaltending when it came to them being a Stanley Cup contender, and it was indeed what held them back. Despite an excellent rookie season from Skinner, he became fatigued once the playoffs rolled around, and Jack Campbell was truly unplayable at that point. The Oilers wound up bowing out in six games to the Vegas Golden Knights in the second round, while Skinner put up a horrific 3.68 GAA and a .883 SV%.

If the Oilers wind up shifting their focus toward goaltending, plenty of names are expected to be available. One is Marc-Andre Fleury, who was in their building last night, albeit in a backup role. The three-time Stanley Cup champion is in the final year of a contract with a $3.5 million cap hit. The 39-year-old has a no-movement clause but may be willing to waive it in hopes of adding a fourth Stanley Cup ring to his collection.

Other names available for the right price are Nashville Predators’ Juuse Saros and Calgary Flames’ Jacob Markstrom. Both will require a major haul but would undoubtedly turn the Oilers into the biggest Stanley Cup contender in the Western Conference. If those deals prove too difficult for Holland to pull the trigger on, Jake Allen of the Montreal Canadiens could be grabbed for a much cheaper cost.

If the Oilers are serious about contending for a Cup this year, their goaltending will need to improve. Perhaps that improvement can come from within, but this team has been plagued by struggles in that department for years, and based on what we have seen through 54 games this season, it’s hard to envision anything changing.

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