Let’s clarify something right away. Goaltending is not the sole reason the Edmonton Oilers are currently 7–6–4. It hasn’t been good, but there are numerous reasons why the Oilers’ start to the 2025–26 season has been so poor. Defensive play, lack of success offensively, a few injury troubles.
However, this is not the first season Edmonton has struggled with below-par goaltending. In fact, it could be argued that the Oilers have made consecutive Cup Finals despite the men between the pipes. Furthermore, watching Edmonton right now would show you a team that seems to distrust any of their netminders. It’s not the main cause, but it has been the team’s biggest issue for a while, and enough is enough.
The Edmonton Oilers cannot afford to sit by and watch another season marred by subpar goaltending. They have given Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard more than enough chances to seize the job and run with it. Neither man appears capable of doing so. If that’s the case, Edmonton has two possible strategies. Let’s explore them.
Door One: Skinner Stays, New Tandem
This is the easier option. There may still be reason to believe in Stuart Skinner, but he is no longer the Oilers’ unchallenged #1 netminder. All respect to Calvin Pickard, who’s been a good soldier and done more for the team than anyone expected, but the wheels have fallen off. Skinner needs a proper tandem mate who can push him for the starting job, not a true backup who never really poses a threat. A proper tandem with a new goaltender could offer a breath of fresh air to the team in net. It could also motivate Skinner to play with a new fire, and reclaim his job as #1 starter. So who can fill that role? There are a few options to consider.
In Buffalo, there’s Alex Lyon or Ukko-Pekka Luukonen. Lyon has claimed the starting job while UPL has worked his way back from a lower-body injury. Lyon is probably the safer bet, but UPL has had the higher highs when healthy. The Sabres also have young netminder Devon Levi in the system, who’s currently blocked from NHL experience. Levi is more of a project, however, and would fit as a future solution, something Edmonton likely won’t be looking for.
One other possible target is Elvis Merzlikins. Merzlikins’ career stats have fallen over the past few seasons, and his name has been in trade speculations before. He’s currently sharing the net with newcomer Jet Greaves in Columbus, so maybe a change of scenery is the push Elvis needs to recapture his early career form. If so, he and Skinner could possibly form a reliable tandem where Edmonton is able to ride the hot hand at any given moment.
Keeping Skinner and adding a new, proper tandem goalie is likely much easier. The Oilers can waive or trade Pickard, you keep Skinner around as one final “show me” moment with a new guy and the chance to win back his job. He succeeds? Great! Now you’ve got two reliable goalies for this season, and maybe he earns an extension. He fails? He’s a UFA in the summer anyway, and you don’t need to re-sign him. Maybe a competition is what Skinner needs to finally regain consistency in his game. The other option Edmonton has is a bit more complicated.
Door Two: Skinner Goes, Two New Goalies
This is the harder option because if the Oilers are trading Skinner, they would clearly be looking for someone better. The thing about the NHL is, people don’t trade with you out of a feeling of charity. If the Oilers could have traded Skinner for someone better, they would’ve already done it. A Skinner trade also assumes you’re getting a more established goalie in return, someone more proven and name-brand.
There aren’t many goalies out there that teams can realistically acquire, but if Stan Bowman goes big game hunting, there are a couple of names to keep in mind.
Saros could be an obvious solution
Juuse Saros is the first and most obvious option. Nashville again appears to be going nowhere fast, and although they avoided it last season, a rebuild is staring Predators GM Barry Trotz in the face. Saros is beginning year one of an eight-year extension at $7,740,000 per season. At age 30, does he want to stick out the basement dwelling that a rebuild requires?
The two hangups for a Saros deal would be money and the fact that he has a no-movement clause. The Oilers would need to clean additional space to fit him, and he’d have to agree to the deal. However, going from a team like Nashville to a team like Edmonton may be of interest to a player like Saros, whose stats have dipped in the past two seasons behind truly terrible Nashville teams. The Oilers were able to strike gold in a deal with the Predators for Mattias Ekholm, solidifying their defensive core. Could they return to Nashville for a goaltending fix?
Sorokin as a candidate
Ilya Sorokin is the other candidate. Despite the Islanders’ 8–6–2 record and the promising returns on Matthew Schaefer, New York is clearly still a team in rebuild mode. The Islanders signed Sorokin long-term at $8,250,000 a year until 2029–30; similarly, at age 30, he is likely not enthused about the idea of riding out a rebuild. Sorokin’s deal also has a no-move clause, so he’d need to agree to a trade.
Sorokin’s stats haven’t been the otherworldly .925SV% he put up in 2021–22, but even last year, he had a more than respectable .907 and 2.71GAA in 61 games. If the Islanders were to sell him off and truly commence the rebuild, he would be an incredible addition to Edmonton. If the team can right itself defensively, there’s no reason his stats shouldn’t rebound to the near-Vezina numbers he had a few seasons ago.
Internal solutions
As far as the other goalie goes, the Oilers have an internal solution in Connor Ingram from the AHL. Ingram’s career looked promising before he entered the NHL’s Player Assistance Program, and he’s playing his way back into the league.
Looking more towards the future, Samuel Jonsson has had a scorching start in the ECHL with the Fort Wayne Komets, although he’s likely not ready for a Trey Yesavage-like run to the NHL. The option of two new goalies is more difficult to pull off, but other teams have done it before. Just last year, Colorado replaced both of their goalies within the span of a month, and the team flourished. Edmonton could do the same this season and see similar results.
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