If you have had your ear to the ground in Oil Country lately, the noise is deafening. Between the groans at Rogers Place and the vitriol on social media, the pressure cooker that is the Edmonton Oilers’ crease has reached a boiling point. Naturally, when a goaltender struggles in a Canadian market, the “trade request” rumors start flying.
However, according to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, we need to pump the brakes. Friedman reports that despite the heavy criticism, Stuart Skinner has not sought a trade from the Edmonton Oilers. Furthermore, the organization isn’t looking to pull the trigger on a deal just to say they did something.
The Reality of the Goalie Market
From an insider’s perspective, Stan Bowman is making the prudent—albeit painful—choice. The logic is simple: You don’t make a trade unless you are undeniably getting better.
Friedman indicated that while teams like Columbus, Pittsburgh, and Buffalo have spare parts in net, the Oilers’ front office doesn’t view those options as a significant upgrade over the current tandem of Skinner and Calvin Pickard. In the NHL, making a “lateral move” out of panic is a death knell for a contender. It costs assets and solves nothing.
The hard truth for fans is that the goaltending market is incredibly thin. Elite goalies rarely move mid-season, and when they do, the acquisition cost is astronomical.
The Problem With the Artur Silovs Rumor
I’ve seen the chatter in the fanbase. Everyone is playing armchair GM, suggesting the Oilers acquire Artur Silovs and waive Pickard. It sounds great on paper—a young, promising goalie with a cap hit under $1 million. That fits Edmonton’s tight salary cap structure perfectly.
But let’s look at the cost. A move like that would likely command a 2nd and a 5th round pick, or a top prospect like Matthew Savoie. Are you willing to mortgage a blue-chip prospect like Savoie for a goaltender who is still largely unproven over an 82-game workload? That is a gamble that could haunt this franchise for a decade.
For now, the Oilers are betting that Skinner can rediscover his form. It’s a risky bet, but likely safer than panic-buying in a seller’s market.
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