Oilers Must Make Goaltending Top Offseason Priority

For two straight years, the Edmonton Oilers have fallen just short of their ultimate goal of winning the Stanley Cup. In each of the last two years, the Oilers have lost in the Cup Final to the Florida Panthers, with various factors playing a role in their downfall.

This past playoff run, the clearest reason for the Oilers coming up short was their goaltending. The duo of Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard just wasn’t enough to backstop the Oilers all the way to the top.

Both Skinner and Pickard played well in their own right at different points of the playoffs, but in the Final, the Panthers picked them apart with ease. Heading into this offseason, making moves at the goalie position must be the Oilers’ top priority.

Reports have indicated that the Oilers tried to bolster their goaltending ahead of the 2024-25 season by checking in on Boston Bruins netminder Jeremy Swayman, but nothing panned out.

The Oilers need to have bigger aspirations between the pipes as superstar captain Connor McDavid considers his future. If the Oilers want McDavid to stick around, it might be useful to get him a goalie who can help alleviate some of the pressure.

The free agent market is thin for starting goalies this offseason, so a trade should be in the works for the Oilers. Names like Tristan Jarry and Alex Nedeljkovic from the Pittsburgh Penguins might welcome a change of scenery and could elevate their game in Edmonton.

Thatcher Demko might be on the trade block this offseason as the Vancouver Canucks look to shake things up.

Maybe there are even more creative options out there for the Oilers, but something needs to change in goal. Skinner and Pickard might be one of the cheapest goalie duos in the NHL, but the Oilers need someone who can rise to the occasion and finally get McDavid the goaltending help he’s never had over his decade in the NHL.