The Edmonton Oilers’ season is in shambles. One main problem is their goaltending, and something has to give very soon. The team is second last in the league, has the worst team save percentage (SV%) at .861, and a five-on-five SV% of .898, which is terrible as well. They are playing well below their standards, but a game can completely change when a goalie can make a save.
Management must make a goaltending change. The Oilers can’t be outshooting their opponent 19-3 and still be down 2-1 on the scoreboard. That’s what happened on Nov. 6 against the Vancouver Canucks, and it deflated the team. This has been a regular occurrence. How can they maintain any momentum when they sustain pressure at one end without scoring, and then the first shot against the Oilers goes in? Edmonton needs to find a save and fast.
Oilers Must Immediately Dip Into AHL
The Oilers are looking for quality goaltending, and they don’t have to look further than their own system. In the American Hockey League (AHL), both goalies, Olivier Rodrigue and Calvin Pickard, are playing great, and it’s not easy for goalies in the minors to perform at this high a level.
Pickard has a record of 2-2-0 with a 2.03 goals-against average (GAA) and .939 SV%. Rodrigue has a 2-0-0 record with a 1.00 GAA and .968 SV%. Their confidence is high right now, and the Bakersfield Condors are doing great. The Oilers need a goaltender with some confidence, as Jack Campbell has given up 20 goals in five games, and Stuart Skinner has given up 26 goals in seven games.
They have reached the point that Campbell needs to be sent down. Some have argued that he should be bought out, but the Oilers should follow what the Los Angeles Kings did last season, which was to send Cal Petersen down to either find his game or play out the season before being moved. This gave the Kings a goalie fighting for the best opportunity he would get in his career and helped salvage their season. They did this early, too. This is where the Oilers are at. It doesn’t matter too much which goalie is called up. Give them both a chance if the first call-up doesn’t pan out. While sending Campbell down doesn’t free up his entire cap hit, it will be enough to give the team a little cap freedom.
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Skinner can’t be sent down, even if his SV% is worse. His struggles, arguably, began last postseason and are a problem again this season. Although, he shouldn’t even be in this position – he came into Edmonton with poor play and has not recovered. It is too late to give the veteran any more chances to turn his career around. Pickard and Rodrigue both deserve a chance to be the Oilers’ saving grace.
Oilers Could Find a Cheap Trade
Depending on Campbell’s demotion, the Oilers could find a cheap trade. If they can find an available goalie with a cap hit of $1 million or less, they must consider it. A lot of teams made sure that they had a third-string goalie with NHL experience in their system so that if anything happened, they would have an option. While the Oilers have Pickard, there are arguably stronger players out there, if general manager Ken Holland doesn’t want to give the AHL goalies a chance.
I would first look to the Calgary Flames or San Jose Sharks, two teams struggling as much as the Oilers. These teams may be desperate to make a move too, especially in net. The Sharks have two netminders who have been getting peppered. Mackenzie Blackwood has been able to make a save and is under contract until the end of the 2024-25 season, and three of his seven starts were quality starts, at least. The Oilers’ tandem has combined for three in 11 games with a much better team in front of them.
As for the Flames, Dustin Wolf is more than ready to be called up. The team is just waiting for their opportunity to trade Dan Vladar. Moving him to the Oilers is that opportunity and would give Edmonton a breath of fresh air with Wolf’s arrival. While Calgary may not want to help the Oilers, they have bigger problems to deal with.
While those are the two most obvious teams to make a trade, the Oilers could find value elsewhere after they’ve given their AHL talent a shot. This I can’t stress enough.
Last Ditch Effort on the Free Agent Market
Jaroslav Halak just signed with the Carolina Hurricanes, so why haven’t the Oilers done the same? The answer is that the options are limited. They must try out both their AHL goaltenders first and look for a trade before reaching out to the remaining unsigned goalies – a list that includes Brian Elliotte, Aaron Dell, Jon Gillies, Michael Hutchinson, Jean-Francois Berube, and Christopher Gibson. I don’t think this is the answer, but the option is there.
Related: Oilers’ Concerns Shouldn’t Be With Draisaitl & McDavid
The Oilers cannot sit back and wait for their goaltending to come around. This is an important season, and the team is not out of the race. They have gone on great runs under head coach Jay Woodcroft and will have to do that again – but it starts in net. The Oilers need a save to build off of. It’s deflating the way they’ve been allowing goals. Sometimes, a drastic move is all that’s needed, and it’s needed now.