It’s no secret that the Edmonton Oilers have long had their fair share of troubles and inconsistency between the pipes, and unfortunately for the team, the 2024-25 season has proven to be no different.
Through the Oilers’ first 10 games of the campaign, the team has ranked in the bottom 10 of the NHL in goals against, while Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard each carried dismal save percentages (SV%) of .875 or less. While Edmonton survived and was able to thrive on the average goaltending they received last season, the play of the team’s two netminders to open this season has been a legitimate cause for concern. As a club determined to return to the Stanley Cup Final with unfinished business in mind, the Oilers can’t afford to gamble on their current goaltending situation. With both Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in the primes of their respective careers, general manager Stan Bowman would do well to act sooner than later to improve his team’s position in the crease if his star players hope to one day hoist the Lord Stanley’s Mug.
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Unfortunately for Bowman and the Oilers, the NHL’s goaltending market is fairly barren. With multiple teams looking to improve the quality of their goaltending, Bowman may have to get creative if he hopes to land a proven netminder capable of tackling a significant workload. Fortunately, there is a glaring trade option within Edmonton’s division, as Mackenzie Blackwood of the San Jose Sharks could prove to be exactly who the Oilers need to stabilize their situation between the pipes. Sure, at first glance his statistics aren’t jaw-dropping, but it’s what he has been able to do as a member of the league’s worst team that undoubtedly has multiple franchises inquiring about his services.
Why Blackwood Is the Best Fit
Throughout his seven-year NHL career to date, Blackwood has only skated for one team that reached the Stanley Cup Playoffs. In each of his other campaigns, the Thunder Bay, Ontario, native tended the twine for struggling teams whose overall play had a dramatic effect on his statistics. However, the important fact that is lost when looking at his past performances is the reality that Blackwood has long been a terrific goalie on poor teams. Perhaps the most notable example of this came during the 2023-24 season, when he played on the last-place Sharks and collected a 10-25-4 record with a 3.45 goals-against average (GAA.) Despite these ugly statistics influenced by San Jose’s play – they allowed a league-high 35 shots against per game — he was able to maintain a .899 SV% – an incredible feat given both the quantity and quality of the scoring changes he faced every game.
At 27 years old, Blackwood stands 6-foot-4 and tips the scale at 225 pounds. An intimidating sight in the crease, he plays an explosive butterfly style and has a knack for making incredible and timely saves. Currently in the second year of a two-year contract with an annual cap hit of $2.3 million, he owns a team-friendly salary and will become an unrestricted free agent (UFA) at the end of this season. With Vitek Vanecek serving as the Sharks’ backup and recently-acquired top prospect Yaroslav Askarov poised to take over as the team’s starting goaltender in the near future, San Jose would be smart to trade Blackwood rather than allow him to walk out the door as a UFA for no return. For the Oilers, adding him would be a shot in the arm and provide them with a netminder who owns greater experience than Skinner as well as a familiarity with teams known for the holes in their defensive game. As a pending UFA, the return for Blackwood’s services likely wouldn’t be astronomical – an average prospect, a middle-round draft selection, or both could be all it would take to pry the 27-year-old netminder from San Jose’s grasp.
Searching for a Cure in the Crease
At the end of the day, it’s clear that the Oilers need to improve their goaltending situation. While the tandem of Skinner and Pickard was sufficient in driving Edmonton to the Stanley Cup Final last season, their wavering and relatively inconsistent play doesn’t inspire confidence for a team perceived by many to go the distance this campaign. Yes, the Oilers find themselves in the midst of a tricky financial situation, but adding a goaltender of Blackwood’s caliber for just $2.3 million is an opportunity they can’t afford to miss in a season that carries such high expectations. If Edmonton returns to the playoffs this season only to falter due to poor goaltending, it will be another year of McDavid and Draisaitl’s best wasted on hopeful thinking.
While Blackwood isn’t the only solution available to cure the Oilers’ goaltending woes, he’s clearly one of the best choices. With great size, a wealth of experience, and a contract that Edmonton could manage to incorporate into their financial situation, his dynamic and steady play could prove to be exactly what the Oilers need to squash the tireless questions surrounding their crease.
