Oilers have been scouting Canadiens' goalies for potential trade: report
The Edmonton Oilers appear to be scouring eastern Canada for a new goaltender.
After dropping a disappointing 6-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday afternoon, one in which goalie Stuart Skinner had a .783 save percentage, the team has now seen their losses hit double digits with a record of 5-10-1.
With veteran Jack Campbell struggling in the AHL and the team reluctant to start current backup Calvin Pickard in games, the Oilers will have to find at least a backup to take the load off Skinner.
That relief might be coming from Montreal, according to a new report from Elliotte Friedman during the Saturday Headlines segment on Hockey Night in Canada last night.
Saturday Headlines with @FriedgeHNIC đź“° pic.twitter.com/1s7BW9fSVj
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 19, 2023
“The Oilers do continue to look at the goaltender market,” reported Friedman. “A number of teams were in Montreal [recently], Edmonton was there looking at all three of Montreal’s goaltenders.”
The report does appear to be accurate, as Oilers assistant GM Brad Holland was listed among other NHL scouts and executives in attendance at Thursday night’s game between the Canadiens and Vegas Golden Knights.
Y’a du dépisteurs au pied carré ici ce soir pic.twitter.com/Z2QtjboYzz
— Luc Gelinas (@LucGelinasRDS) November 16, 2023
The Canadiens are experiencing a bit of a goaltender logjam at the NHL level. The team is currently carrying three goalies on the roster: Jake Allen, Samuel Montembault, and Cayden Primeau.
Montembault and Allen have been carrying the majority of the workload. Both have played eight games each and have had similar results. Montembault holds a 3-3-1 record with a .908 save percentage, while Allen has played to a 3-4-1 and a .907 save percentage.
Primeau has struggled in the three games he has started, with a 1-2-0 record and a .885 save percentage. The 24-year-old did, however, start in the game against Vegas that Holland attended, allowing six goals on 42 shots.
It is worth pointing out that all three Montreal goaltenders have better underlying stats than Skinner this season.
Though the Oilers are desperate to make a move between the pipes, Montreal might be the perfect place to avoid being gouged. The Canadiens are actively looking to offload one of their goalies and are not in the same conference as the Oilers, which should keep the price relatively reasonable.
Despite seeming like perfect trade partners, Friedman says that it doesn’t appear there will be a final trade call anytime soon.
“I don’t believe there is anything imminent [between Edmonton and Montreal],” said Friedman. “I just think it’s the Oilers continuing to do their due diligence; they are determined not to make a panic trade they will regret.
“There is no question that with every loss, the focus continues more on [the Oilers].”
Skinner has started in six consecutive games for the Oilers, which means they are quickly approaching a time when they will have to give the 25-year-old a rest. Whether it will be Pickard to give him that rest or one of the three Montreal goaltenders remains to be seen.
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