NHL rumors: the Edmonton Oilers and goaltending

The Edmonton Oilers and goaltending

The Chris Johnston Show: Chris Johnston, when asked about the Edmonton Oilers and their goaltending.

** NHLRumors.com transcripts

Julien McKenzie: “Did any of the other Canadian teams, and we mentioned Edmonton, have any interest in maybe adding a goaltender or anyone else in the country worth mentioning?

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Johnston: “Yeah, I mean, they got a big shutout from Stuart Skinner this weekend. So, you know, it feels like every day is a bit of a trial by fire for the Oilers. But that was an encouraging win for them over the weekend.”

And you know, they’re definitely looking at the goaltending market. I mean, the reports that are out there are accurate. You know, Tristan Jarry, someone they’ve been thinking about, but I don’t know if it’ll ever work out just right.

And maybe, you know, it could almost be as simple as, you know, they’ve been very patient with Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard for a reason. I mean, those players don’t make much against the cap. Obviously, these guys have each provided a lot of big moments for that organization over the last few years.

So, you know, you can point to some of the holes or the off nights, but honestly you can also point to some big, big moments in the playoffs with each of those goaltenders. You know, Pickard came into the playoffs last year, and they made a nice run with him in net. And similarly, if you remember the first Dallas series in the Western Conference Final, a lot of the ice was against the Oilers, and you know, it was Skinner who, you know, had some big nights.

So, you know, I don’t think they’re clearly in a hurry to do anything. I think for a long time they wanted to try to get through this difficult period, this turbulent period for the team, let things take their course and really evaluate where they are now. You know, it was threatening there, I think, you know, when you take 7-3 losses and 9-1 losses at home, like you get to a point where patience is running out a little bit.

But at the end of the day, you know, if you’re the Oilers and you go through another goalie, there’s a good chance the goalie is going to make more money against the cap than the two guys you have. And that’s because: the more you spend there, the less you can spend elsewhere. And you have to be sure that you are making an improvement in the team.

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So I don’t think they’ve reached that point yet, and you know, I’m sure they’re just hoping: this is the start of another great Stuart Skinner run, and maybe all this talk will die down for a while.

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