For the third year in a row, the Edmonton Oilers are once again having a shaky start to the season. This time around, their record, 7-6-4, is respectable, but their on-ice performance leaves a lot to be desired.
While the defense corps has struggled in front of them, goalkeeping is – once again – a major talking point in Edmonton as the tandem of Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard fails to deliver, which should surprise no one.
That has led to speculation about who the Oilers could target to improve their goal, and one name that has become increasingly popular in recent weeks is Predators star netminder Juuse Saros.
While that idea sounds great, insider Frank Seravalli isn’t too keen on the prospect of Edmonton targeting Saros.
He explains:
“Saros wouldn’t be the pick for me for a number of reasons. First, he’s in the first year of an eight-year contract that will see him through the age of 39. Second, his numbers haven’t been good for two seasons in a row, this one last. And third, from an overall holistic perspective, for a team that doesn’t really have the cap space and hasn’t spent the cap space on goaltending, what you have is what you get with Stuart Skinner and what they can afford to tip their cap pay.
As Seravalli mentioned, the 30-year-old Saros has just begun the first season of the eight-year, $61.92 million extension he signed with Nashville in 2024.
There are a lot of hurdles in the Oilers’ attempt to acquire Juuse Saros
Everyone agrees that the Oilers need to find a solution to their goaltending issues now and in the future.
At first glance, acquiring Saros seems like a no-brainer to solve that problem, but the deeper you dive, it would really be a tough deal for Stan Bowman to pull off. Insider David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period highlighted that during a recent appearance on Sportsnet Today.
“They don’t have room for a quick fix right now; even if they make a goalie change and Skinner is the guy out, it’s going to cost $2.6 million. If you want an impact goalie, you’re probably looking at $5 million+; they just don’t have the room for it,” Pagnotta said.
All of this seems to rule out the possibility of the Oilers being able to land Saros, but if the game remains at the position status quo, Edmonton will have to get creative and possibly uncomfortable to make anything happen.
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