The Edmonton Oilers could look to upgrade the goalie position, and they may look at the trade market.
Edmonton has both Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard under contract for next season, but the Oilers have been linked to trading for a goalie to help solidify the position. NHL insider, Jeremy Tingly of NHLTradeRumors, links the Oilers to trading for Elvis Merzlikins of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
“The Blue Jackets netminder has two seasons left on his contract at $5.4 million AAV, and Merzlikins has asked for a trade once before,” Tingly wrote. “The Blue Jackets are open to just about anything this offseason if it makes sense for the future of their franchise. The Oilers have several trade candidates including Darnell Nurse, so things could heat up this summer between these two teams.”
Merzlikins would be part of a goalie tandem with Skinner and help add some more stability to the position. He has two years left on his five-year, $27 million deal, which is a reasonable cap hit for a goalie.
Merzlikins and Skinner would likely split the net, but Merzlikins has the chance to be the starter as he has proven he can be a legit No. 1 goalie in the NHL. The 31-year-old went 26-21-5 with a 3.18 GAA and a .892 SV% last season. His best two years were his first two years in the NHL, where he had a sub-2.80 GAA and at least a .916 SV%.
Oilers GM Exploring Options to Upgrade at Goalie
Entering the offseason, the Oilers planned to look at the goalie market and see if they could find an upgrade.
However, Edmonton hasn’t made a move for any goalie, which has been surprising. Yet, Oilers’ general manager Stan Bowman says he will continue to monitor the market and see if there is a move to be made.
“I don’t know what word you’re looking for, but it’s been interesting to see. There’s certainly been some movement,” Bowman said. “Goaltending is a very unique situation because there are only two per team. So it’s a bit of shuffling of chairs. There hasn’t really been much movement on the number ones around the league. A lot of movement filling in on the number twos.
“So we had some conversations, but nothing really made any sense,” Bowman added. “So I think where we are now makes the most sense for us, and we continue to have conversations. But we’re doing our job and talking to teams and agents. But nothing there really made any sense for us to move forward on.”
The Oilers finished last season with a .894 SV%, which ranked 16th, while allowing 235 goals, which ranked 14th in the NHL.
Merzlikins’ Previously Requested Trade From Blue Jackets
Columbus could be open to trading Merzlikins as the team has Jet Greaves as the likely future starting goalie.
Merzlikins also requested a trade from the Blue Jackets in 2024 as he was frustrated with his role with the team.
“But then talking to my agent and agent’s talking, we agreed on a new scenario. There has to be a new scenario for me for my career, I believe,” Merzlikins said.
Columbus opted not to move him, but if the price is right from a team like the Oilers, perhaps they will move him now.
Oilers Linked to Trading for $27M Star Goalie to Bolster Position