Oilers Must Target This Goalie During Offseason

The Edmonton Oilers are licking their wounds following another Stanley Cup Finals defeat. With the Florida Panthers' Game 6 victory, they lifted the Cup for a second straight season. The Oilers must now regroup again this offseason, assess where they fell short, and try to improve the outcome for next season.

Goaltending is the most prominent position of conversation and contention for the Oilers this summer. The duo of Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard was inconsistent throughout their postseason runs, and it would be a colossal mistake to go into the 2025-2026 campaign with the same pair. That's why they should pivot, take their shot and call up the Vancouver Canucks to hammer out a deal for Thatcher Demko.

Stay with me now, Oilers Nation. I know I'm proposing that the Oilers explore an in-division trade for an injury-prone goalie entering the final year of his contract. I understand the criticism, and it's justified.

But the Oilers are out of time to be conservative. The chances of another top-four defender joining the team are slim, so they must take a huge swing in the net. That's what Demko is. When he's at his best, he is an elite puck-stopper who garnered Vezina Trophy consideration. Demko is several years removed from that level of play, but he hopes to regain that form in the right situation.

If he's healthy, Edmonton would be the massive winners of any potential deal. Demko has been plagued by lower-body injuries for the past season and a half. Between hip and knee problems, there's plenty of room for concern. The Oilers would need to be 100% certain that he has a clean bill of health and a strong offseason of training, but if that's the case, it could be a shrewd move.

If things didn't work out for the Oilers in 2025-2026, they could easily move on from Demko. He's set to make $5.5 million for the upcoming campaign, but there's no further obligation if he underperforms.

The other aspect of this is the Canucks are in flux. They committed a yearly salary of $4.5 million to fellow goalie Kevin Lankinen, who had an impressive debut season with the organization. They named a new head coach in Adam Foote and are trying to get back into the postseason. With questions surrounding their franchise, they could be talked into a deal more easily than many other available netminders.

The deck has to fall perfectly for Edmonton in this scenario. They need clarity on Demko's health and contract needs while getting a divisional opponent to make a deal. It may not be the likeliest option for the Oilers, but they must pursue a massive upgrade like Thatcher Demko to increase their championship odds for next year.