The Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames have both struggled early on this season, but for entirely different reasons. For the Flames, they don’t boast a ton of offensive talent up front, as some of their top paid players in Jonathan Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri appear to be shells of their former selves.
Related: 3 Flames Trade Targets to Help Jonathan Huberdeau
While the Oilers have great star talent in the primes of their career in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, their biggest issue is goaltending. The Jack Campbell signing has already become one of the worst in NHL history, and Stuart Skinner is in the midst of a major sophomore slump. There are other issues as well, but goaltending is a big reason as to why they sit at 2-9-1.
Given their struggles between the pipes, there has been plenty of chatter that the Oilers are looking to make a move for a goalie. Names such as Jake Allen, Jordan Binnington, and Juuse Saros have been mentioned plenty, and while all make sense, there are two others who could be available that they may want to take a look at as well.
Flames Could Move Either Markstrom or Vladar
Throughout the entire offseason, there was talk that the Flames may be looking to move a goaltender to make room for Dustin Wolf. The belief was that Dan Vladar was the main guy they were looking to deal in hopes of keeping a veteran presence in Markstrom around to help mentor Wolf.
Though Markstrom nor Vladar have yet to be dealt, the Flames couldn’t help but call Wolf up recently after he got off to another incredible start in the AHL. The 22-year-old has no business being with the Calgary Wranglers anymore, and it doesn’t make a ton of sense for the Flames to carry three goalies down the stretch. The best thing general manager Craig Conroy can do is to move one, and there is no team more desperate at this time than the Oilers.
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Moving Vladar would still be ideal, but he wasn’t particularly great last season and has been even worse to begin the 2023-24 campaign. For a team with Stanley Cup aspirations like the Oilers, it is unlikely they view Vladar as a goaltender to move the needle for them. If the Flames prefer to move him, they would need to accept the fact that the return would be very minimal.
What could be more intriguing is moving Markstrom. It is no secret that the Oilers attempted to sign him as a free agent back in 2020, and that same management group remains intact today. For the Flames, who aren’t expected to compete for the Stanley Cup anytime soon, moving Markstrom would have no real negative impact and would instead hand the keys off to Wolf, who appears more than ready to take over as the number one option.
Anyone watching the Flames since the start of the 2022-23 season is well aware that Markstrom hasn’t been very good. While the team in front of him hasn’t helped, he has been far from the dominant goalie he proved he can be during the 2021-22 campaign. That said, he is a serious upgrade over what the Oilers have right now and could find new motivation with a trade to help get his game back to an elite level.
Given how desperate the Oilers are, they would likely be willing to pay a pretty big price to get Markstrom, perhaps even parting ways with a prospect such as Xavier Bourgault, as well as an upcoming first-round pick, to make it happen. The Flames would, in this case, have to take back Campbell, but with the state they are currently in, it may not be a major issue. He would likely finish the season in the AHL and could be bought out in the summer if the Flames wish to do so.
Holland is a Very Desperate GM
After being robbed in his own right regarding the Tyler Toffoli trade, Conroy has an opportunity to win this potential trade with Holland by a landslide. The Oilers veteran GM is well aware that the time is ticking on not only this season but perhaps his tenure with the organization if things don’t get turned around soon. Each loss is increasing the heavy pressure he is under, making him more desperate by the minute. This is a situation Conroy should be looking to capitalize on in a hurry.
