The Edmonton Oilers made a change between the pipes recently, acquiring Tristan Jarry from the Pittsburgh Penguins and moving on from Stuart Skinner. In the Oilers’ recent game against the Boston Bruins, which was Jarry’s third game as a member of his new team, he left with a lower-body injury and didn’t return.
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Fans are now curious what this will mean for the Oilers moving forward if Jarry is injured, and if they will make another deal for another goaltender, or if they will call up someone from the American Hockey League (AHL). They do have Matt Tomkins and Connor Ingram in the AHL with the Bakersfield Condors, but trusting one of them with Calvin Pickard for the foreseeable future could be risky.
In this article, we take a look at another option for the Oilers, which is them pivoting to acquiring Alex Lyon from the Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres, who recently made a general manager change, could be looking to offload one of their goaltenders instead of risking losing them on waivers for nothing. Lyon is a cost-effective option for the Oilers, and if they want to have some security, they could make a deal.
Keep in mind, this deal is simply hypothetical and is just a mock trade. There has been some speculation that the Oilers had previous interest in Lyon, but nobody has reported that anything is close or is happening before the roster freeze on Saturday (Dec. 20).
Oilers Land Lyon, Give Tomasek a Fresh Start
The Oilers could be forced to overpay a bit in a deal like this, since the Sabres are in no rush to make a move and would need to be convinced, but they may have to if they want to bring Lyon in. There are no big obstacles to deal with in a deal like this, and the Oilers have assets to give up that can make the money work in a trade.
Lyon, who is 33, has posted a 2.99 goals-against-average (GAA) and a .904 save percentage (SV%) through 18 games this season, winning seven of them and posting one shutout. In 131 career games, he has won 58 of them while posting a 2.99 GAA and a .902 SV%.
In this suggested deal, the Oilers acquire Lyon in exchange for forward David Tomasek and a future fourth-round pick. Tomasek gets a fresh start that he desperately needs, having found himself on the outside looking into the Oilers’ lineup, while the Sabres get another draft pick. It seems likely that they move forward with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Colton Ellis as their tandem, so the Sabres moving on from Lyon makes sense.
This deal would spell the end of Pickard’s tenure with the Oilers. Whether he gets claimed on waivers or he gets traded elsewhere, Lyon would be his replacement. Jarry’s return down the line creates a brand new tandem, and while Pickard would be a good option to have in the AHL in the case of any future injury, it seems more likely that he ends up elsewhere trying to continue playing in the NHL.
Lyon’s numbers have always been solid, and he has been a consistent goaltender throughout his career. The Oilers bringing him in makes sense; he won’t break the bank, and he creates some added stability heading towards the postseason if Jarry goes down at any point.
The Oilers have been connected to several goaltenders over the course of the season, but time will tell if they make another addition between the pipes or if they choose to rely on their organizational depth.
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