Looking at potential options if the Oilers decide to trade for a goalie

The conversation surrounding the Edmonton Oilers and their goaltending never seems to go away.

While the Oilers have gotten off to another ho-hum start at 4-3-1, the issue has been more due to their offense than their goaltending. But, we’ve all seen how the combination of Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard has held the Oilers back from winning a Stanley Cup, and bringing in a stable option beyond those two has been long overdue. Connor Ingram is certainly an intriguing bet, but the Oilers may want something with a bit more certainty if they want to win it all.

In his most recent feature for Daily Faceoff, Matt Larkin examined the goaltending market and explored some potential options for the Oilers. He listed 13 goalies from eight different teams and divided them into five groups.

For the first tier, Larkin looked at low-ceiling veteran stopgaps, older options with experience that could be had for cheap. For this group, he listed the Buffalo Sabres‘ current stopgap starter Alex Lyon, as well as New York Islanders backups David Rittich and Semyon Varlamov, although Varlamov is still recovering from a knee injury that kept him out for most of last season.

Then, Larkin looked at goalies that had some upside based on previous performances, but could also be acquired for a cheaper price than usual due to recent performance. The Sabres’ currently injured starter, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, and the inconsistent Pittsburgh Penguins netminder, Tristan Jarry, were named for this tier, although both goaltenders come with pricey cap hits that would be difficult for the Oilers to insert into their lineup.

For the third tier, Larkin named two goalies whom the Oilers would be betting on their youth, ones that could also pay off as long-term starting options for Edmonton. The Penguins’ other goaltender, Arturs Silovs, was one option, while Chicago Blackhawks backup Arvid Soderblom was another, with Spencer Knights seemingly taking over the starting goaltending gig there.

However, the most important tier was the realistic starting goalie targets tier, where Larkin selected longtime Columbus Blue Jacket Elvis Merzlikins, as well either John Gibson or Cam Talbot of the Detroit Red Wings.

The Red Wings have sizzled to a 5-2-0 start, but this group has fooled us early in the season before, so we can’t declare them a playoff contender just yet. Even if they are, their current duo is blocking mega-prospect Sebastian Cossa, who is bordering on Quad-A status in the AHL. It makes sense for now to keep giving him work there, but Trey Augustine, who may be an even better prospect, will turn pro soon enough, and someone will have to play in the NHL eventually. Talbot played some of the best hockey of his career as an Oiler in the past, and Gibson reminded us last year that he still has the ceiling of a top-end starter. If the Wings need to address a need elsewhere in their lineup – or if they end up not in the hunt by March – could they trade from their position of extreme organizational surplus?

Jet Greaves was outstanding late last season and has carried that play into 2025-26. Merzlikins has had six years of runway and has been the subject of trade rumors for the past several. With his deal expiring after next season, his $5.4-million cap hit no longer feels prohibitive. He’s not ancient at 31 and has the talent and swagger to be a difference maker when he’s on – and so far this season, he is, posting a .927 SV% in his first three games. If Greaves wins the starting gig outright, Merzlikins could become a trade chip – though perhaps Edmonton would need to send a goalie Columbus’ way given the Blue Jackets depleted their depth when they traded Daniil Tarasov in the summer. They have Ivan Fedotov in the AHL, but he has a ways to go to show he can be an NHL backup.

For the final tier, Larkin named off pipe dreams, three elite goalies who would immediately fix the Oilers’ issues in net, but were very unrealistic options to go after, largely due to their contract, acquisition cost, and just being too good for their respective teams to move. The Seattle Kraken‘s Joey Daccord, the Nashville Predators‘ Juuse Saros, and the Islanders’ Ilya Sorokin were named here.