Despite matching a franchise record with nine consecutive wins and having a 17-3-0 record in the past 20 games, the Edmonton Oilers are and still should be looking for help in net. Stuart Skinner has been excellent for the team after his tough start, but he is being overworked and it will catch up to him. Calvin Pickard has done a great job as the backup goalie when he is called upon, but by how the Oilers are splitting the starts, they aren’t fully invested in him and do not fully trust him.
Even before the Oilers demoted Jack Campbell to the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Bakersfield Condors, it was evident they needed a better goalie than he to play alongside Skinner. What the Oilers were looking for with the Campbell signing was a mentor and a starter who would allow Skinner to have time to develop into a starter in the NHL. Skinner was forced into it too quickly and it not only hurt him and the Oilers in the 2023 playoffs, but hurt both him and the team to begin this season. While Skinner has more than likely pushed past being seen as an NHL backup, he still needs time before he should be counted on for 50-55 games as a starter.
This leads us to the conversation of Elvis Merzlikins from the Columbus Blue Jackets. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reported that Merzlikins said he has not requested a trade, but that he and the Blue Jackets have agreed to find a “new scenario” for him. While the goaltender mentioned how much he loves that city and teammates, he also said, “I’m not a backup goaltender.”
Merzlikins has not played very often recently as the Blue Jackets have three healthy goalies on their roster. Carrying Merzlikins, Daniil Tarasov, and Spencer Martin worked while the team dealt with injuries to at least one of them at a time, but now one of them has to sit in the press box every night and share the crease three ways in practice.
Merzlikins got a lot of starts for the Blue Jackets at the beginning of the season because he was playing well and the team was easing Tarasov or Martin into a backup role. Merzlikins hasn’t played in five games and will back up Tarasov on Saturday, Jan. 13, according to head coach Pascal Vincent as well. That means Merzlikins will have only played four of the past 16 games, which is not a good way to showcase a trade candidate. But with how bad the team is, I guess it doesn’t hurt his trade value too much by not getting lit up every night.
Oilers Should Show Limited Interest
Now that it is clear Merzlikins is being shopped, the Oilers should be having a conversation at least with Columbus. Any conversation has to start with Campbell though, even if it costs the Oilers a first-round pick as well. While a buyout is the likely destination the Oilers are headed towards regarding Campbell’s contract — which has another four years on it and carries a $5 million average annual value (AAV) — that doesn’t help them this season. Stanley Cup contenders should use a first round picks more often to upgrade each season if possible. If it only costs one first-rounder and Campbell is included, I’m all in.
The Oilers have to be able to fit Merzlikins on the roster somehow, and moving a goalie for a goalie is the most logical outcome. His contract carries a $5.4 million AAV through 2027. This might be the only chance the Oilers have at dumping Campbell instead of buying him out. This scenario — there being a team openly looking to move a goalie with a larger cap hit and multiple years left who hasn’t been amazing since signing his current contract — may just be the perfect one to strike on.
It isn’t as though the Blue Jackets won’t be able to afford burying or buying out Campbell either if they are a bottom-feeder and looking to sell off players. How else would the Oilers acquire Merzlikins, or who else would they send the other way in a trade if not for Campbell? Cody Ceci? No, because there is no immediate replacement to play beside Darnell Nurse. If you’re thinking Philip Broberg could replace him, I wish the Oilers felt that way and gave him a chance sooner in that role. As for moving a forward, the only players that would work are Evander Kane — who is needed for playoffs — and Warren Foegele, who is playing well in the top-six and would only be an option if Columbus retains half of Merzlikins’ AAV, in my opinion.
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Campbell has to go, and by the end of the first buyout window in the summer. Merzlikins, on the other hand, isn’t looking to be a backup goaltender. He’s a more experienced goalie who has shown he can stop the puck and put up good numbers. That is what the Oilers need, especially if Skinner struggles again. I can see a 50/50 split down the stretch and for the next couple of seasons if Merzlikins is acquired and it to be a strong move for the Oilers.
I can see this Merzlikins drama dragging out a little bit, but not past the Mar. 8 Trade Deadline. The Oilers have a tough schedule starting before that, so the pressure may be more on them to strike a deal, if not with Columbus, than with another team.