Edmonton Oilers tried to get Šilovs before Canucks traded him: report
The Edmonton Oilers were trying to swing another deal with the Vancouver Canucks this summer, but this one didn’t work out.
Edmonton is looking to upgrade its goaltending going into the new season, and GM Stan Bowman was reportedly eyeing up Artūrs Šilovs as a potential option. Šilovs has since been traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins, meaning that the Oilers’ search for a new goaltender will have to continue later into the summer.
NHL insider Frank Seravalli was the first to report the Oilers’ interest on Tuesday morning.
“Oilers were involved, I think another team was in the mix, but just couldn’t quite get it done,” Seravalli said. “The Oilers don’t really have a ton to offer and weren’t entirely sure that Šilovs is better than what they have right now in [Stuart] Skinner as well as Cal Pickard.”
The Oilers were "in the mix" before Arturs Silovs was traded to Pittsburgh 👀 @frank_seravalli pic.twitter.com/BkZHvx5tLt
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) July 15, 2025
Šilovs was an interesting option and could have been a goaltender the Oilers hoped to pick up on the waiver wire early in the season if he remained with the Canucks. The Latvian is coming off an up-and-down season where he failed to break into the NHL full-time, but managed to take home Calder Cup MVP honours as well as a championship with the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks.
The Oilers would also be very familiar with Šilovs, as he backstopped the Canucks to a seven-game playoff series against Edmonton in 2024. It’s clear that the 24-year-old is ready for more opportunities in the NHL, and he could have been a decent tandem option to pair with Skinner.
Given the fact that the Canucks have already re-signed both Kevin Lankinen and Thatcher Demko to be their NHL goalies for the foreseeable future, there was no clear path for Šilovs to move up in Vancouver. Combine that with the fact that he requires waivers, trading Šilovs was a far better option than losing him for nothing.
Seravalli is right that the Oilers don’t have a lot of trade chips to offer up. Vancouver received a struggling prospect with first-round pedigree, something that Edmonton no longer has after parting ways with Sam O’Reilly in the Ike Howard deal.
Vancouver was looking for organizational depth in any Šilovs deal, and Edmonton doesn’t have much to offer in that category.
“We wanted to give him an opportunity elsewhere as we feel we are very well positioned in goal at the NHL, AHL and developmental level,” said Canucks GM Patrik Allvin after the trade. “Acquiring a future pick and depth forward will add to our organizational depth.”
As it stands, the Oilers are set to return with the same tandem that brought them to two-straight Stanley Cup Final appearances. Maybe a third time will be the charm for Skinner and Pickard.