Insider skeptical about Oilers' goaltending plan

Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner. Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Elliotte Friedman skeptical about Oilers' goaltending plan amid Stuart Skinner uncertainty

Originally posted on Blade of Steel | By Tom Banks | Last updated Jul 10, 2025 10:10 PM ET

The Edmonton Oilers could look to replace Calvin Pickard as their backup in 2025-26, but now top NHL insider Elliotte Friedman doesn't support that idea.

For the past two seasons, the Edmonton Oilers have fallen just short in the Stanley Cup Finals. While there's been many reasons for their failures at the hands of the Florida Panthers, their goaltending needs to be fixed.

After more Stuart Skinner inconsistencies, many Oilers fans have pushed for a big change in net this summer, while others have noted that potentially changing their backup may be a solid enough plan to turn things around.

That's something that NHL insider Elliotte Friedman has mentioned on previous podcasts, but he has changed his tune, revealing that he believes replacing Calvin Pickard would not be a good idea.

The reason behind Friedman's about-face is the change that the Oilers recently made, moving on from longtime goaltending coach Dustin Schwartz, with the belief that a change behind the bench could get the best out of not only Pickard, but Stuart Skinner as well.

On the surface, a change one way or another was needed, and the Oilers chose to make that change behind the bench, because looking around the NHL, there's not much of an upgrade to be had in net.

Ultimately, the Oilers still believe that the duo of Skinner and Pickard can take them all the way. With very few assets to work with, there's no avenue for them to land an obvious upgrade in net, so for now, it appears as though no big-time trade will be going down.

This article first appeared on Blade of Steel and was syndicated with permission.

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