The Edmonton Oilers made headlines recently, pulling off a blockbuster deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins by trading Stuart Skinner and Brett Kulak, with a second-round pick, in exchange for Tristan Jarry and Sam Poulin. After two games with his new team, Oilers fans have chalked Jarry up as a strong addition to the team, but most fans are wondering if the team will now try to find an upgrade on Calvin Pickard.
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It’s rare to see teams pull off two separate deals to completely change their goaltending tandem in the middle of a season, but the Colorado Avalanche did it just last season, proving it isn’t impossible to make a change if they want to.
After replacing Skinner with Jarry, the Oilers could turn to the Chicago Blackhawks in hopes of replacing Pickard with Laurent Brossoit. Brossoit is a former Oiler who recently returned to professional hockey after suffering a major injury, and having been in a tandem with Jarry in the Western Hockey League (WHL) with the Edmonton Oil Kings previously, the fit and connection could be there.
Brossoit has played three games this season in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Rockford Icehogs, where he has posted a .900 save percentage (SV%) and a 3.39 goals-against-average (GAA). He missed the entire 2024-25 season, but throughout his career, he has posted a 2.64 GAA and a .911 SV% through 140 games, winning 64 of them, and posting six shutouts.
In this article, we will take a look at a hypothetical trade between the Oilers and Blackhawks for Brossoit. There has been some speculation that the Oilers could have interest in Brossoit, but there aren’t any reports claiming the two sides have held any discussions.
Blackhawks Retain, Oilers Move on From Depth Forward
Brossoit’s $3.3 million cap hit creates some issues in terms of getting a trade done. The Blackhawks would have to retain half of his contract, and considering he is a pending unrestricted free agent (UFA) following the 2025-26 campaign, they could be willing to do that to bring assets back in a trade. Retaining half brings his cap hit down to $1.65 million, which makes a deal much more possible.
There is obviously a risk in having two goalies in a tandem who are both prone to previous injuries. However, Brossoit seems to have recovered well, and if he stays healthy, he is an upgrade on Pickard.
The Oilers would have to move money out to make a deal work, which shouldn’t be too difficult. They have a couple of forwards that could be on their way out, considering the Oilers’ strong depth, and the Blackhawks could be open to adding one of them to their bottom six.
Realistically, a deal between the two teams looks like the Oilers acquiring Brossoit, with half of his cap hit retained, in exchange for Mattias Janmark and a future sixth-round pick. The Oilers free up the money needed to bring Brossoit in, while the Blackhawks add a forward who has proven to be a solid playoff performer and future draft capital.
The Oilers will have to make some moves when they are back to full health, with Jack Roslovic, Kasperi Kapanen, and Connor Clattenburg among their injured list currently, so moving out someone who could be on the outside looking in for a new goaltender isn’t a bad choice. If it doesn’t work out, they can let him go to free agency at the end of the season.
They could keep Pickard around as organizational depth, or they could flip him elsewhere in a separate deal for a late draft pick, but either way, his time as a member of the Oilers could be coming to an end.
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