The Edmonton Oilers could look to make an addition to their goalie group, and one insider links them to an intriguing option.
The Oilers have made the Stanley Cup Final in back-to-back years, despite getting some poor goaltending. Edmonton saw Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard lose the starting job in the playoffs.
Despite both being under contract for next season, the Oilers have been linked to adding other goalies, and NHL analyst Josh Wegman of theScore links Edmonton to Alexandar Georgiev.
“Georgiev was arguably the worst goalie in the NHL last season, but he’s just two years removed from a campaign in which he posted a .918 save percentage and finished seventh in Vezina Trophy voting,” Wegman wrote. “Despite a goalie duo of Georgiev and Stuart Skinner being understandably frightening for Oilers nation, Georgiev at least offers more upside than Calvin Pickard, who would likely clear waivers and serve as Edmonton’s third goalie. With limited ways to upgrade the crease, Georgiev would be worth a flyer for the Oilers on a low-cost, one-year deal.”
Georgiev is arguably the top goalie available as he’s coming off a three-year, $10.2 million deal. The Russian was horrible last season, but when he is on, he can be a legit starting goalie in the NHL and could be worth the risk for Edmonton.
If Georgiev struggles, the Oilers could easily send him to the minors and stick with Skinner and Pickard. But, with there not being many top goalies available this offseason, if Georgiev can refind his form from two years ago, it would be a massive signing for the Oilers.
Avalanche GM Felt Georgiev Shown Flashes of Being Good
The Colorado Avalanche traded for Georgiev and handed him a three-year deal to be the team’s starter.
The Russian had hype of being a good starting goalie, and at times, he was one, but other times, he wasn’t even playable. After the Avalanche traded him to the San Jose Sharks, Colorado’s general manager, Chris MacFarland, said Georgiev can be a good goalie, but he wasn’t this year, which triggered the move.
“I think in Georgiev’s case, he’s shown that he can be a good goaltender in this league, as evidenced by his win total the last few years, and certainly in his postseason play last year,” MacFarland said. “I think, obviously, stats are stats. We obviously were aware of our early-season goaltending struggles.
“That certainly was a part of it. I think when one guy is maybe going through a tough time, you need the other guy to kind of pick up the slack,” MacFarland wrote. “I think it’s tough when both guys are struggling, and I think [Georgiev and Annunen] did at certain times. But I believe both of them are good goaltenders.”
Between the Avalanche and Sharks, Georgiev went 15-26-4 with a 3.71 GAA and a .875 SV%.
Oilers GM Open to Making Goalie Move
After Edmonton lost in the Cup Final again, Oilers’ GM Stan Bowman opened the door for a potential goalie change or addition.
Skinner and Pickard were both vastly inconsistent this season, and Bowman says he will explore all options.
“Part of the evaluation is the guys that we have, and if it makes the most sense to keep this group, that’s certainly a possibility,” Bowman said. “So I don’t know. We’re not at the point where we’re saying we’re definitely bringing in new goalies.”
Despite the struggles, Bowman says he and the coaching staff are comfortable going into next year with Skinner and Pickard as their goalies.
Oilers Linked to Signing Former $10.2M Goalie to be Part of a Tandem