While the Edmonton Oilers have some massive goaltending issues and continue to gauge the trade market for goaltending, they seem pretty happy with where they are right now. Stuart Skinner and Jack Campbell haven’t been great to start out their respective 2023-24 campaigns, and fans have been begging the Oilers to try and make a move to improve between the pipes.
Campbell’s slow start resulted in a demotion to the Bakersfield Condors of the American Hockey League (AHL) where he was expected to find his confidence and come back, but that has yet to happen as he continues to struggle in the minors. With plenty of names being considered by the Oilers including Jake Allen, Sam Montembault, and Karel Vejmelka, there have been some insane mock trades and suggestions made by insiders that are simply bizarre, but fun to read.
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The most recent one came from New York Post writer Larry Brooks, who suggested the Oilers trade Connor McDavid, Evan Bouchard, and one of Skinner or Calvin Pickard in exchange for Ilya Sorokin and Mathew Barzal. While this would definitely solve the Oilers’ goaltending issues, this deal will never happen. McDavid, even with a slower start than expected, is the best player in the NHL and won’t be moved.
Sorokin is arguably the best goaltender in the NHL and while the Islanders would do this deal in a heartbeat to bring in the best hockey player on the planet, it makes zero sense for the Oil. They’ve made it known they’re willing to be patient in finding an upgrade between the pipes, so making a blockbuster move like this one is simply off the table. But, for fun, let’s take a look at all the assets involved in this mock deal.
Islanders Get Legendary Haul, Oilers Solve Goaltending Issue
In this hypothetical deal, the Islanders get an elite offensive defenseman in Bouchard, a solid goaltender in either Skinner or Pickard, and the best player in the NHL in McDavid. They immediately win this trade regardless of their weakened goaltending with the loss of Sorokin and become Stanley Cup favorites as soon as the deal goes through. The Isles have struggled to find consistent scoring in recent seasons so bringing in two guys who know how to put the puck in the net improves one of their main issues.
The Oilers get a strong two-way forward in Barzal and a top-three goaltender in the NHL in Sorokin. While that immediately solves their biggest issue, which comes between the pipes, they open up another massive issue with a huge hole left offensively with McDavid’s departure. Not to mention, moving him likely means the end of Leon Draisaitl, Darnell Nurse, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins in Edmonton as well, so this deal, unfortunately, spirals the Oilers dressing morale and likely leads to a complete overhaul.
I’ve said it several times already, but I will say it again, this deal is won by the Islanders, and it’s not even close. While Bouchard’s defensive game has been questioned by fans and analysts around the league, he still would provide a massive boost to the Islanders’ blue line. They need exactly what Bouchard provides in an offensive defenseman, as they already have plenty of shutdown defenders. Combine that with McDavid & Skinner/Pickard, and the return to the Oilers looks awful.
What Will the Oilers Really Do for Goaltending?
Right now, it seems like nothing. The Oilers have been connected to several goalies via trade since the start of the season, but nothing has come to fruition as of yet. It seems as though the team is going to wait it out and see if Campbell can find his game at the AHL level and make a comeback sometime in the near future, and until then, they’ll ride with Pickard as their backup.
If it were up to me, I’d be looking to acquire a goaltender sooner rather than later. A few players called this season a “cup or bust” campaign for the Oilers, so if that’s the case, they shouldn’t be waiting around to see if their goaltending just fixes itself but instead should be trying to make a move as soon as possible. Hopefully, whatever they decide to do works because this team is still a playoff team. They just haven’t shown their full potential early on in the season.
