This is the period where anticipation holds sway. We know the Oilers are going to add a goalie, trade some wingers, and eventually sign Connor McDavid and Evan Bouchard.
In these days leading up to the draft and free agency, the vague days are replaced by titillating specifics. Later in the week, things will get salacious and eventually reach a climax and a trade will be completed.
For Stan Bowman, in his first full summer of work as Oilers general manager, the options are weird. Unless he delivers a player in trade not being discussed, the possible starting goaltender for Edmonton next year ranges from older, expensive and injury prone (Thatcher Demko, John Gibson, Elvis Merzlikins) to young and unproven (Joel Hofer). Bowman could go with free agent Jake Allen, he’s not going to cost an asset and since identifying the best in this group is a dice throw, maybe that’s the route to go.
Me? I’d keep Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard, adding Michael DiPietro as a free agent and possible recall. DiPietro has been quality for two consecutive AHL seasons now and is just 26. I’m also intrigued by Samuel Jonsson, now signed to an NHL deal. Although it might sound funny, there’s a chance this fellow arrived fully formed for the Bakersfield Condors this fall.
NHL 2025-26 DEPTH CHART (LOWETIDE VERSION)
- Edmonton Oilers: Stuart Skinner, Calvin Pickard
- Bakersfield Condors: Michael DiPietro, Samuel Jonsson
- Fort Wayne Komets: Connor Ungar, Nathaniel Day
Bowman can chase waterfalls, I’m not doing it. Goalies are voodoo, they’ll steal your money and leave you blue. Ken Holland is right. Unless you can find Dom Hasek in Prague at midnight in a snowstorm on an outdoor rink with bad lighting, don’t pay for the goalie. I would add in Olivier Rodrigue because I think he’s good, but also want Samuel Jonsson to get a full chance with the Condors this winter.
On the Lowdown today, we’ll get the latest from Daniel Nugent-Bowman at The Athletic. We’ll also have our Tuesday panel, featuring Declan Krueger, Donovan Paulson and Josh Fenwick. Noon to 2, Sports 1440.
Paul Maurice had something to do with moving out Huberdeau , a big, skilled center/winger, who Florida drafted and who also set the Panthers record for points in a season. They even added a talented right shot D man to obtain the infamous turtle.
Very bold, bold move, but It was what Maurice needed for his recipe.
He then turns his high skill line into a defensive specialists to nullify the others teams top line, even outscore them. (Barkov and Reinhart). He then proceeds to let his battlers loose in a highly controlled, highly aggressive game plan.
Oilers rolled over their opponents with determined skill. Panthers rolled over their opponents with speed and aggression.
In the end, once the Oilers skill was reduced it was the battlers who won the day. I would say Panthers owned or won a much greater proportion of board battles, net front battles at both ends, and 50/50 pucks.
Last year the Oilers misunderstood and thought two new goal scoring wingers were the solution. This year a new goalie the solution. Its not.
The Oilers are a great team in my opinion, but more and more teams are learning how to beat high skill teams and they will emulate the Panthers.
So to me, Oilers must be very very careful with going down the same road. They need battlers on the roster. Connor and Leon have been enough of an edge to get past most teams, but this is getting old. They need players that pick up the slack when the going gets tough.
If we can’t trade Kane now, then we can do it at the deadline. He will have had an offseason, a preseason and will be better next year than this, I would imagine.
I would assume we could get some assets then, if not now. Just saying, that’s a second window to get a deal done, and then make another deal with the assets received.
I know that we got so close with our roster but I can’t be the only one not too excited to bring back all of Fredric, Podkolzin, Brown, Janmark, Rico? That’s not enough skill. We’re totally reliant on Savoie to take the next step and then we need at least couple more 30 point players and ideally a 2nd line winger.
I think we retain only one of Brown, Henrique and Janmark
I think it depends in what role. I would like more speed at 3C and an actual C at 4C. Brown Janmark and Henri were 3 of the top PKers, but it was poor. Pod and Janmark had teh top 5v5 goal shares in the final
I think the top 6 needs to be juiced up at wing, and those wingers have to be able to play against teams like Florida and still get things done offensively. To me the one thing they haven’t got yet is play against disciplined teams that don’t give them much and get in their way
They crush teams that do let them play their game, but the deeper you go in the playoffs the less that is going to happen. Connor and Leon were bottom 5 for F GF% in the final, that can’t happen. They need wingers that can help them be effective in those kinds of games. Management has not done well at supporting their best assets. They found Ekholm who elevated Bouch’s game
Sather only took a few seasons to figure it out, next season is Connor’s 11th. That Leon likes playing with Pod more than a lot of others speaks volumes to me, love Pod but come on managers. Yes it’s hard to do, but that’s the gig
To me both of the top 2 C’s need guys with more of a nose for the net, that have non stop motors, can battle and win those with the best of them, and can play to the net heads up and sticks down. Really just copy what was done before with a similar situation – one of the best ever and best player in the world doing what no one else can, and a skilled mean tank at 2C, and an all world offensive D with them a lot, it’s not rocket surgery
Podkolzin is the only one who showed with fire. Others had trouble winning any battles.
Kane is both a 30 point player and a second line winger.
Podkolzin is the only one who showed with fire. Others had trouble winning any battles.
Kane is both a 30 point player and a second line winger. Draisaitl can handle any Bennett / Tkachuk line, provided he has a Kane on one side and a speedster like Holloway on the other. ( I hate using Holloway here but not much choice on present line up)
Excuse me, I haven’t been keeping up daily.
We are going Trent Frederick to a heck of a deal? Couldn’t score a goal to save his life did not really show the aggressive part of his game. Could not get to the puck, but that is supposed to be understandable, though we don’t know the full nature of injury.
And risk. Once you give a rugged player type long term deal a lot of times they often lose the rugged part.
And then we move out Evander Kane? Evander Kane is at worst a second line winger on almost every team in the NHL. He can score he could throw the body. He can drop the gloves.
Edmonton was soft last regular season. They knew it, and they attempted to turn it on come playoffs. That’s hard when it’s not really part of your nature.
Their skill was enough to overcome most teams, but they just got bullied out of the Stanley Cup two times in a row by the Florida Panthers.
are the Oilers really being honest with themselves?
They need battlers. Are they going the right way this off-season? Because they got it wrong last off-season
Kane being the worst forward in the finals sealed his fate. That kind of hockey should have been his strength.
How much of that do you attribute to a poor coaching—officiating vortex?
There’s some of that but other than take penalties he was not visible.
I wonder of the Oilers know why they lost two years in a row?
Kane has a skill game and a hitting game, even decent net front, but small battles hes not great.
When throwing a hit, Kane has his stick is always in the air, usually so he can push through checks, maximum force. Hyman hits with his shoulder, stick down low to retrieve the puck. He is a master of the hit and retrieval.
side note, Jeff Skinner was excellent in the small battles, turning chaos into a shot on net.
I cross my fingers that someone besides the NYR sign Gavrikov.
Nurse and Gavrikov have comparable attributes. With ~1.5M in salary retained Nurse could be an option for the Rangers if they can’t sign the Russian.
Manhattan could be a destination Nurse waives his NMC for.
Regarding the Hofer talk, and he was a goalie a lot folks in Oil Country pointed to for a revenge offer sheet going back to August.
St. Louis has exactly 5 goaltenders in their organization. Zero unsigned picks/prospects. One of the 5, a Russian AHL goalie posted underwhelming numbers, so I am guessing that his time in NA has run out. This leaves 4. And one of the 2 remaining prospect goalies does have good number, IMO.
So I would say good luck to the notion that Armstrong would not match an offer sheet…
Plus, Hofer had an underwhelming season. He might be a better backup than Pickard, but is that what the Oilers are looking for? I think they want a guy who’s a little more proven who can push Skinner for the starter’s role. After 24-25, I’m not sure Hofer is that guy.
Even if they would match it, do it anyway. Give Hofer a bit of a better deal than he would have got.
Heck, do it because they would match it.
Goaltending is certainly a priority but based on what’s available both UFA and trade and I’m not sure there is a clear upgrade, especially if it costs a bunch of assets and cap.
2nd line was an area JJ focused on at the end of last year, made some decent bets in J Skin and Arvi but unfortunately didn’t work out. 2nd line is again a major issue, especially if they trade Kane and Arvi (no offense to Savoie/Podz but they have to aim higher). Other area of need, outside signing McD and Bouch, is 4C/PK.
1) Sign McD
2) Sign Bouch
3) 2nd line
4) Goalie – Market likely pushes this down the list unfortunately or to the deadline, hoping for another Dwayne Roloson mircale
5) Sign Fred/Brown
6) 4C/PK
Assuming the rumors regarding Kane and Arvi come to fruition, they sign Bouch for $10.25M, Fred for $3.75M, Brown for $1.75M, and goalies stay the same that leaves $6.6M is cap space to address 2LW, 2RW, and 4C.
Some interesting options for those spots within that budget include Pius Suter, Patrick Kane, Jonathan Drouin, Lars Eller, Luke Kunin, Mik Granlund, and Daniel Sprong.
Can Bowman lure Patrick Kane in at $2M for a chance at glory?
I really like Suter, guy seems to have a motor every time I watch Van play.
Sprong could likely be had for $1M and seems to put up points everywhere he goes, could be buried in the A if it doesn’t work.
Is this lineup better than last year?
Drai McD Hyman
RNH Suter Sprong
Fred Hen Brown
Janmark Eller Podz
Savoie
Ek Bouch
Nurse Wal
Kulak Emb
Stecher
Skinner
Picks
OR (perhaps less realistic)
RNH McD Hyman
Drouin Drai P.Kane
Fred Hen Brown
Janmark Eller Podz
Savoie
I think the biggest changes will end up being on the 2nd line. Will be interesting to see how this plays out
Way too soft. Not a chance against Florida.
Unfortunately very few options in the UFA market that can match up with the likes of Bennett and Tkachuk on the 2nd line. Can you beat them with pure skill instead, who knows.
Perhaps the play is to keep E.Kane. At his salary though you’d likely be forced to let Brown walk, play Savoie or Podz at 2RW, and/or resign Perry as I don’t think Henrique waives. There will be too much of the remaining cap tied up in Fred and Bouch. With Kane the lineup looks like this:
RNH McD Hym
Kane Drai Sav
Fred Hen X
Jan X Podz
Hutson
Ek Bouch
Nurse Wal
Kulak Emb
Stech
Skin
Pic
With only $2.3M left on the cap for 3RW and 4C. Brown at $1.75-2M means you’re running a 21 man roster with league min at 4C.
Trading Kane opens up options at 2LW, 2RW, and 4C. Not sure those options would be better equipped at beating Florida or not.
I really hope someone offers Bennett $11M x 7 and he takes it. Panthers would still be good but that would take a chunk out of them with limited options to replace, Tavares/Suter would be their best options outside of trade. Damn Panthers likely get him for $8×8 though.
I appreciate the time you are putting in while i slam your efforts with “too soft” comment. Its a good read and realistic approach.
Suter is one of the slowest players in the league. His top speed is identical to Perry’s but Perry has 2.3x more 20+ mph bursts.
I didn’t know that, thanks for sharing. Perhaps a lot of body movement when he skates which makes it seem like he’s going faster or trying harder. Put up a solid season last year though.
Carter Hart is a free agent. 😎
Not yet … he needs to be reinstated by the NHL first, I think.
From Grok:
The five former Canadian junior hockey players—Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dubé, and Cal Foote—currently on trial for sexual assault in London, Ontario, are not explicitly banned by the NHL from playing due to a league-wide ruling.
======================
The league stated just recently that they would have no comment on whether or not they would take any action against the players until the court rules on the charges against them.
We know how this goes by now, right? I think McCloud is going to be ineligible for a while longer than the rest of the crew, but the other 4 will be filling holes on the Oilers’ roster sooner than any of us would be comfortable with.
If the court of law deems them not guilty, then it is fine by me. If they are convicted, it’s a moot point.
Agreed.
The court of public opinion will make that very difficult, I’m sure these guys will be happier to sign in places they can be more anonymous. Like Columbus
I know a discussion on this could get heated and eventually cutoff. But in my opinion I would stay away from them regardless and Stan may do so given his background. Even not guilty the whole thing was pretty sordid, and a large chunk of our fanbase is female, who may still view this negatively. Not a good look to go after these guys.
Depends on what the judge says if she rules not guilty.
I have been following media reports of the case fairly closely and it would not surprise me if she comments that this case should never have gotten to trial.
Bad decisions & bad behaviour all around by everybody involved but the testimony I have read does not rise to the level of criminal charges – more like the parents grounding their children for a month and told to grow up. All six of them.
I’m very much against singing Hart.
I don’t know about anyone else but living outside of Edmonton, generating the amount of excuses required to rationalize that decision would be exhausting. I actually love Edmonton and the Oilers and it’s a part time job defending both. Just personally, I really want these types of signings to end.
I am tired living in a world where people judge each other unfairly or due to what looks correct. Be fair to them, which means fair to us all.
this is not meant to be preachy.
These conversations are always tough because of variations within our moral compasses.
Which goalie is shaking loose from Buffalo?
I’d be looking at a blockbuster with the Sabres, but as established previously, I like the “crazy” ideas when it comes to this stuff.
Which goalie is out in Montreal? They have Jacob Fowler coming, 2 decent younger goalies, and Montembault.
Jet Greaves in Columbus looks intriguing.
Detroit has 2 prospect goalies in the top 5 of prospect rankings.
Colorado has a Russian prospect coming that might make them dump Wedgewood, who has some good numbers when playing for decent teams.
The Kings have an abundance of possibilities behind Kuemper.
Lots of very interesting names could be available beyond what is currently being advertised.
Hopefully Bowman is looking in the same way he looked for Walman despite him “not being available”.
Great post. This is what I expect Bownman to be doing. I don’t see a Demko to Oilers trade.
I’d be surprised if Bowman goes with an untested goalie in the summer when he is trying to sign McDavid long term.
— It would be more than a mild surprise if come playoff time next year both the coach and the goalie tandem is the same.
— I don’t know how much attribution goes to them individually but collectively a third run with the same coach and goalie would seem unlikely
— Could be another coach gets fired in season as team needs a shake up type thing.
People were caught up in the anger and other emotions of losing, and may not have listened to the presser where he described his plan for game 6. This was his after game availability.
It was disturbing. Plan A was to go to the 29-97 combo…and if it wasn’t going well, to just stick with it because….because.
If that’s the best the coach can come up with in game 6 of the finals, and anyone in the org is paying attention, he might not last. Bowman post-season comments notwithstanding.
— yeah McD said something like “banging our head against the wall over and over again”
— I mean sure Nuge broken hand no Hyman, injured guys got gassed : Kane Ek.
— So many some “ran out of ammo”
— I cant think of many coaches of contending teams that get three cracks in a row at deep playoffs when winning is expected (Or goalies for that matter),
— hoping third times a charm seems optimistic
Gregor wrote on coaching. Stauffer recommended the read on air.
From what we can tell:
-Knoblauch will be back
-Coffey will be back
-Gulutzan ? He’s a head coach candidate in Dallas.
-Stewart is ?
-Schwartz is ?
I wonder if Knoblauch would partner with Hakstol again, or if he has someone else in mind.
Gregor suggests Richard Bachman as a possible goalie coach.
Wouldn’t be too hard to upgrade / refresh our special teams coaches.
You would have to be a sucker for punishment or a little think in the head if you run back the same goaltending tandem. Bowman doesn’t strike me as neither so a small percentage of you better have a good cry now because changes will be made rather quickly.
But he’s not listed in your hypothetical depth chart?
Yes. I said in the final sentence “but also want Samuel Jonsson to get a full chance with the Condors this winter.”
I chose Jonsson as the priority.
I’m looking forward to what Jonasson shows in the AHL.
And your reiteration of Holland echoes what Bowman’s been saying. The unsaid part is that fans (and a surprising number of pundits) believe goaltending is a problem – because it is so mysterious and so visible. I’ve written about this several times this past year: the high priced goalies did not get their teams past the WCF, or even into the second round. As for Bob, he didn’t win the Panthers the Cup, nor did Skinner/Pickard lose the Oilers the Cup. These were team efforts, on both sides.
ps. I remember you talking to Florida media before a mid-season Oilers v Panthers game. At the time, Bob and Skinner had similar SV% and winning %. Skinner was being roasted in Edmonton. Bob? Your guest said that fans and pundits were just happy the club was winning. No threats to Bob or his family. The hate and disbelief that Skinner has to endure in this market is a terrible indictment on this fan base. Ugh.
Thanks for the explanation.
Does this mean you don’t think Rodrigue is a future NHL goaltender? Does he have any trade value?
— so what’s everyone doing this summer?
— I am training for Chicago Marathon and it’s been fun getting into running shape but can’t give up on gym totally
— Also after a really long run playing Fantast Football I’m cutting the cord on that : one of our leagues folded so it was time to back out of the other one.
— I had won a lot of $ in FF leagues over the years : but trying to allocate time to more productive stuff
— was thinking of McCurdy this morning : which is weird on one level as we never met except exchanges in this fine site…
Chicago is nice and flat, a fast course. It will be crowded with good crowd support, making it harder to run tangents on turns. If this is your first marathon (I’m guessing it’s not), be advised the final 10km is a fist-fight with your soul. Best prep (besides consistency, volume, and plenty of sleep) is a regular long run starting easy with a marathon pace finish over the last 30-40 minutes. This is also a good time to dial in your footwear (spend hard on supershoes they are incredible and worth every penny) and nutrition. Good luck!
— Thanks ! Sounds like you’ve run a bunch of them. How many? You still running.
— I ran the NYC two years ago (my first after it being delayed for Covid years for a few) and was so ready until week before got a massive virus from my toddler and other kids and just sat in hotel room for the 2 days prior with all kinds of nasty fluid stuff out of everywhere. So it wasn’t fun and I had to run it but very slow so I didn’t die.
— the shoes are crazy good these days (ran cross country in high school 25 years ago)
— will figure out which super shoe for race. Training with the asics superblast which I just got as I start my training cycle. Technology is awesome.
Fellow high school XC alum, and I’ve run more than a dozen marathons (Russia, Spain, France, Philadelphia, Marine Corps, Boston a few times), and find that I learn something about the discipline and myself each time. Definitely slowing down-I’m an older vintage-and becoming more injury prone. Ah, the ravages of time.
NYC is a hard enough course without being sick, so kudos to you!
Supershoes are great on race day but can also pay dividends during the course of the build as they allow for faster recovery after your long run day, and you can do your quality workouts mid-week at a higher tempo. I’m not sure you want to use them every day (I worry about stability with the stack height), but breaking them out for key workouts is worthwhile.
If you are married, do not under any circumstances tell your spouse how much supershoes cost. Just don’t!
Yeah, watching the funeral and realizing that Bruce had a huge range of interests is giving me a little fuel for the coming months. Now that school is letting out (in hours, not that I’m counting) I have these thoughts in mind:
Plus, I want to cook all kinds of good stuff on my BBQ while it is warm out.
Some smoke around Hertl going to Carolina and Marner signing with Vegas.
Tick tock, Stan!
Why tick tock?
I don’t see any relation to the speculated moves above to anything the Oilers will be looking at.
Mark Stone is going to hate playing with Mitch Marner this is great.
This may not be the popular opinion
I’d keep the tandem and sign 2 more goalies at 1 mil or less which can be waiver and sent to the farm including Pickard
Options include Georgiev, Samsonov, or others
Let them all fight through camp
One of these guys is going to get their game back
Except that those goalies will want to sign for a cheap where they have a guarantee to backup.
But I like the idea of a goalie death match.
There aren’t a lot of guaranteed backup spots to go around.
And – there’s an opportunity to jump onto a cup contender here if you can play well. There’s a big opportunity here for some goalie(s) out there. Pickard and Skinner included if they make it through the summer as Oilers. 😂 Just be average and you’re a hero next year.
After cooling down about the goaltending post playoffs I think one important part to this that the Oilers have on their side is time. We don’t actually have to rush out to make a trade for a goalie right away. Sure, pitch on Allen in free agency if we want (I don’t hate the idea of him and Skinner as a tandem), but if the contract AAV rises too high as other teams bid then don’t feel compelled to pay him over the odds just because.
Skinner/Pickard was more than good enough to get us to the playoffs next year, if we have to run it back again then I’m fine with that. Then we bide our time to see which teams suddenly become sellers as they drop out of the race. There might be a better answer than Allen or Gibson that becomes available by December that we’re happier paying the price for at that time.
Let’s see how this all plays out.
We did that last year … due to parity and the Bettman points, nobody really falls out of the race deep enough that they are going to trade quality netminder in December.
Also it takes several months for a starting goalie to acclimatize to a new teams systems.
Getting a goalie is move you do in the offseason.
You’re right! Oilers did that last year — and made it to Game 6, SCF! I repeat myself here: goaltending did not lose the Oilers the Cup, nor did it win the Panthers the Cup. This is a *team* effort. Two years running the Panthers have been the better team. Goaltending is NOT the issue.
Have to agree. Bob looked beatable to shaky in most of their games – especially the later ones. We didn’t get enough sustained offence to make a difference. And too many defensive miscues kept the puck in our zone or led to massive Marchard breakaways
Don’t see much improvement out there. Probably should have gone after Blackwood. Maybe Saros or Swayman shakes loose during the season if both teams have disastrous starts. Demko is great when healthy but is never healthy. Gibson probably costs the least out of everyone out there and may play better now that he is motivated
I would offer sheet Hofer personally
On second thought screw Sam Bennett and that entire organization.
He and Tkachuk are certainly giving a lot of bulletin board material to the Oilers for the fall.
I’m not sure I’ve seen anything like it. My mom would say “we need less Sam Bennett and more Johnny Unitas”. 🙂
Oilers should’ve played better in Game 5 and 6. Video from those games should be enough bulletin board material for them.
They broke the Oilers in game 5 the way they broke every team the played before them. I give them their due as a playing force. As human beings they have not risen to the level even of “classless”. Their antics post win are less about feeling like champions, and more about acting like entitled teenagers.
Basically, the team needs that as fuel for any regular season match, and as motivation when they make the playoffs again. And to hold mgt’s feet to the fire to do anything necessary to let them achieve those goals. The feet to the fire is probably the more important thing, imo.
Certainly immature and unprofessional. It’s UFC/WWE stiff.
I can’t think of anything like this happening in pro sports leagues before. Can anyone?
Everything they do just galvanizes McDavid more to resign with us so that he can stuff it their face next season.
I was thinking of this the other day, I really cannot recall any other championship team is any major league “celebrating” in this way re: sh*****g on the losing team so consistently.
In Evander Kane’s words
“what are you going to do about it?”
I’ve been trying to not pay attention but I would like to know: has SN called them out? TSN? How is it being framed? Because when Edmonton was Canadas only chance, people got on board. In loss, would these media organization accept the kind of derogatory, disrespectful behaviour if it was directed at the Leafs or Habs?
I’ve been ringing this alarm bell for a long time. I respect that we shouldnt discuss politics/culture. I’ve come around to understanding the line and balance. But I’ll say there’s a social movement worth keeping an eye on, it’s based in Florida, and it’s coming for our favourite sport.
I think you have to make at least one change to the tandem and changing out the goalie coach also seems sensible.
I think this makes sense. As much as I like Pickard it’s more logical to keep Stu and bring in someone who can push him, for as little as possible.
One if the guys I’d consider is Tristan Jarry out of Pittsburgh – rumours are that they might be willing to retain 50% and wouldn’t be looking for a big return. He wasn’t good last year but was average or better the previous three years, never playing less than 47 games, so that’s something I’d look at for sure.
Does Tristan Jarry appeal enough to McDavid to make him want to resign on a max term deal.
For a number of reasons, the Oilers can not go into next season with question marks in net … but McDavid signing is the most immediate and important one.
I imagine that Bowman will consult with Connor and Leon before making a move in net.
Why Tristan Jarry I thought we needed good goalies.
edit sorry that was snarky. But Jarry isn’t an upgrade at all?
Then who? People reference Saros as a dream acquisition on this board frequently but he probably isn’t available and he has worse stats over the past 2 years than either Skinner or Jarry, according to Moneypuck.
Skinner: +0.5 GSAx
Jarry: -2.1
Saros: -10.4
By GSAx, the top 5 goalies last year were Hellebuyck, Vasilevskiy, Montembault, Kuemper and Shesterkin. Three of those guys washed out of the playoffs with terrible numbers, one went 0-2 before getting injured and the fifth didn’t even make it.
Just who is good enough for you?
Nobody knows. Jarry would have been an upgrade on Pickard last year and could push Skinner as the starter, as he’s capable of playing 55+ games.
Aside from a small handful of teams, who doesn’t have question marks in net? Almost every starter is delivers inconsistent results from one year to the next. I don’t think the likes of Vasilevskiy, Hellebuyck or Shesterkin are available, so there’s most certainly going to be question marks to some extent. And even if one of those guys was available, there’s no guarantee that they won’t tank come playoff time.
I think the flaw in your plan LT is getting a goalie is what is going to determine if 97 stays. Essentially every single year he’s been with the Oilers other than when they traded for Talbot they have been searching for saves. 2 years in a row they’ve gotten so close they could touch the cup almost and they still didn’t know about their tending.
At the end of the day it’s the most important position and can make or break teams chances of getting a championship as proven by the last 4 years of Oilers.
I think if they come back with the tandem that you suggest the likelihood of McDavid signing long-term drops significantly.
I’m one of thinking he’s going to resign but you also have to understand what just happened to him twice in a row.
tkacucks took his career into his own hands and went to a team where he felt he could win and he’s one back-to-back Stanley cups.
Connor mcdavid’s childhood best friend took his career into his own hands asked for a trade and now has won back-to-back Stanley cups and a conn Smythe.
I think us as Oilers fans are incredibly naive to not think that there’s a part of his mind going into thinking can he really win it in Edmonton and should he just be a little bit selfish for his own career which we all would and maybe go somewhere else.
Those thoughts will get stronger and stronger if they come back with the exact same goaltending they’ve had. If you don’t make a move now and you start the year off with bad goal tending people are going to be throwing you contract boat anchors knowing the position you’re in. If Bowman and Jackson and KK don’t have faith in Stuart Skinner and Picard they have to make the move this summer before the season starts.
You could go and pick up Victor Hedman Roman Josi and probably even get barkov on this team if your goalie can’t stop a breakaway or there’s certain things that teams are victimizing on them it doesn’t matter who’s in front of the goalie.
^ This
The Oilers are in a win now window and Captain Connor is looking for some change before committing to a new contract.
Swayman seems like a fit. Last years numbers are an aberration as the Bruins were just awful and they had their Hearts cut out of them at the deadline.
I’m wondering if backloading Bouchard’s contract a bit would give them some wiggle room. A few less Million$’s in the first few years for a few more at the end. In 10 more years he’ll be one of the only players left from the current crew and they can afford to pay him more then…
Swayman wasn’t good before the deadline last year, although he was worse after.
Backloading Bouchard’s contract does not alter the cap hit. The cap hit is the total contract amount divided by the number of years, so it won’t change at all whether the deal is front loaded or back loaded.
I will boldly predict that Stu will outplay and/or outhealth any more highly paid goaltender they bring in to compete with him.
Please may that be true. Competition to play stronger, different coach to get better performances, and an overall stronger season.
Note: I did not predict that Stu would get better.
It is a contract year though.
So your bet is stick with Stu and Picks?
What’s your prediction on whether mysterious goalie coach Schwartz is a part of that outplay?
I mentioned in yesterday’s blog but will repeat here. Dustin Schwartz rumored to be fired.
His contract ended this season … so more like the Oilers won’t be re-hiring him. Same goes for all of the assistant coaches.
KK needs to bring in all his own coaches for the fall. Don’t run back the same group.
Not sure what that guy did year after year, but he certainly didn’t seem to turn our goalies into better goalies
IMHO the problem isn’t with Stu persé, it’s that I believe the team doesn’t have confidence in him and the moment there’s a hint of shakiness in him the Glimmer twins start trying to do too much, everyone starts gripping their sticks tighter and the entire team gets away from what makes them good.
Add to the fact that Stu and his family were actually getting death threats(I mean, WTF!?!) And I think it’s not only best for the team, not Skinners future as well to get a reset somewhere else, and we need to prepare for him to go full Dubnyk on us wherever he lands.
If Pickard were running as your de facto starter, might it be possible the conversation is inverted? Like, do we know the team lacks confidence in skinner? Or is Skinner as starter the victim of a team that can’t start on time?
Baseball runs starters and relievers. Maybe the Oilers should think of their tandem like this.
I know it’s been suggested in a venomous tone many times before, but I offer this in more of a calm and constructive tone:
Rather than blowing through assets/cap space to bring in someone who may or may not be an upgrade on status quo, why not at least entertain the possibility that a new goaltending coach might get more out of the current tandem.
Bill Ranford’s name comes to mind, but I’m sure there are many others who would be quality.
I agree this may be the best path forward. I suspect if either Skinner or Picks were out there and available, they would be in the conversation as replacements anyway. There just aren’t many upgrades out there and these two have just shown themselves capable of backstopping the team to back to back finals.
Dustin Schwartz may or may not have done a good job, but so long as there is room for improvement internally, go there first.
So running back the same NHL duo?
I’m not fully against that but, from the bits and pieces I’ve read/heard (I’m not nearly as up to speed as normal being away), it seems like that’s run its course and Bowman is indeed looking for a change at the NHL level.
I think the play is another goalie with 1A upside or, really, tandem ability, to partner with Skinner.
I really think Demko is the play if the acquisition cost isn’t high – I mean maybe its higher for the Oilers but, in isolation, Demko should have all but zero acquisition value for the Canucks.
I am willing to pay a reasonable cost and take the risk because the risk of him being injured doesn’t leave the Oilers in a terrible spot with Skinner still around – a goalie that has had over .910 in 58 appearances – a goalie we KNOW is good enough to have this team in a comfortable playoff spot and play most of the games in a run as the 1A.
The Oilers will be a cap team I’m sure so an LTIR placement will likely open up the full amount for in-season acquisition.
Demko, if he is moved, will takes assets to pry loose. Thomas Drance’s article in The Athletic (the tea leaves one) suggests Van City might keep him with an eye to re-signing Demko.
That’s a pretty big IF.
And I don’t see which assets the Oilers have for such a trade. I don’t see the Nucks wanting Kane.
If they lose Boeser, then they are going to want a winger who can replace his goals. They also lost some swagger when they traded Miller, so they might value those attributes in Kane.
Maybe they end up trading Lankinen though.
Notwithstanding what some others think, I personally don’t think that Demko should cost much to acquire. I know the Oilers would have to pay a premium (although they certainly didn’t for Podz, even on trade day), but Demko should have all but zero trade value given he’s barely been able to play for a while. The Nucks are looking to divest after signing Lankinen for a big AAV and they actually think Silovs is good and he needs waivers next season.
I don’t think the Nucks trade him to the Oilers but, really, the acquisition cost shouldn’t be high.
As far as the LTIR, well, I presume the Oilers will be operating near the cap ceiling (even before normal course injuries) and, if they place Demko on LTIR, they get the $5MM in LTIR reserves minus available cap space, which should be minimal (even though I’m sure they’ll aim to accrue, its unlikely to be much just like this season – not LTIR injuries crater it).
I agree that just making a change in goal without having something fairly clear you’re going after, there is no point, better the devil
That being said while projecting goalie performance is basically a crap shoot, and it’s harder to assess goalies than skaters, it can be done. The best outcomes are where the goalie’s style and strengths are matched to the team’s defensive play and what they tend to give up. I’m not sure that’s ideal as it is with the Oilers, but it’s not terrible
There was some good talk about goalies on 1440 yesterday from Woodley and Shane Malloy. It made a pretty solid case for Stu because of his age, and that he has room to grow still. I think every position should be upgraded if the GM sees one, or thinks it’s needed. Given you need 30 games out of the #2, Pick held his own, but if healthy I think Jake Allen is better and I trust more if he had to take the nets, but he will cost more