The Edmonton Oilers might be looking to upgrade their goaltending, but the team is not willing to part with draft picks and prospects who may or may not be any better than what the team already has. In other words, the Oilers aren’t about to pay the Columbus Blue Jackets a hefty fee to swap similar goalies, specifically Mikko Koskinen for Joonas Korpisalo.
The Oilers are looking to upgrade their goaltending situation. That much is clear. But, GM Ken Holland is said to be alright with coming back with the same tandem of Mike Smith and Koskinen because they’ve provided adequate to good goaltending for two consecutive seasons — enough to get the Oilers into the playoffs. While a starter to move forward with over the long haul would be a nice addition, Holland isn’t willing to make a lateral move.
TSN’s Ryan Rishaug caught wind of rumors that the Oilers were interested in Korpisalo out of Columbus and looked into the buzz a bit more. He came back with some good news for fans who don’t think it’s an upgrade for Edmonton. He writes: “Korpisalo for Koskinen and a high pick or prospect is not something the organization is considering at the moment. Have a great long weekend everyone!”
The rumors were a first-round pick and Dmitri Samorukov, as per a suggestion by Frank Seravalli of the DFO. Insiders and Edmonton media almost immediately hated the idea. Not only are Korpisalo’s numbers similar to Koskinen’s, but the give up a first-round pick and a defensive prospect would be idiotic considering the most Edmonton would be doing is saving some cap space on the trade.
For now, mark this one up as a trade that simply isn’t happening. Does that mean the Oilers won’t trade Koskinen? They might. It just won’t be with a stack other assets for an equivalent goalie.
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