One of the Edmonton Oilers‘ biggest goals this offseason should be to upgrade their goaltending. They thought they found their answer between the pipes when they acquired Tristan Jarry from the Pittsburgh Penguins this season. However, the 31-year-old goaltender struggled immensely with the Oilers after the trade, as he had an .858 save percentage and a 3.86 goals-against average in 19 games for the Pacific Division club.
While Connor Ingram had some decent moments for the Oilers as their starter, Edmonton should still be looking to land an upgrade this summer. This will only be more of the case if Ingram, who is a pending unrestricted free agent, does not re-sign with the Oilers and ends up testing the free agent market.
If the Oilers hope to improve their goaltending this offseason, their best way of doing so may be through the trade market. Due to this, one of the Oilers’ most exciting young forwards has been named as a top potential trade chip for Edmonton to include in a trade package for a star goalie this summer.
Oilers Young Forward Matthew Savoie Named Edmonton’s Top Trade Chip
In a recent article for Bleacher Report, Adam Gretz looked at a few blockbuster trade ideas that could make sense to see this offseason. The Oilers were among the teams discussed by Gretz.
When it came to Edmonton, Gretz argued that the Oilers could use young forward Matthew Savoie to help them bring in a new goalie this offseason.
“Stop me if you have heard this one before, but the Edmonton Oilers are going into the offseason in need of a goalie. Stuart Skinner wasn’t the answer. They will soon find out Tristan Jarry isn’t the answer, either, if they haven’t already,” Gretz wrote. “Their best trade chip might be Matthew Savoie, a 22-year-old forward coming off an 18-goal, 37-point season in his first year of NHL action.”
There is no question that Savoie has good trade value. The 22-year-old forward took a notable step forward in his development this season and has the potential to emerge as a high-impact top-six forward. It is exactly why he was selected by the Buffalo Sabres with the ninth-overall pick of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.
However, for the Oilers to truly consider dealing Savoie, they would need to land themselves a very good goaltender in return. Savoie is one of the Oilers’ most promising young forwards, so they can’t just give him away unless it is for a goalie who will be a long-term solution to their starting goalie issue.
Oilers Trading Savoie Would Come With A Lot of Risk
While Savoie is a valuable potential trade chip for the Oilers, dealing him would come with plenty of risk for the Oilers. The Oilers do not have many young players with as strong an upside as Savoie, and he has already demonstrated that he can provide solid offensive production early on in his NHL career.
It would certainly sting for the Oilers if they traded Savoie, and he blossomed into a star. This is especially so when noting that Edmonton needs more production from players besides Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Yet, if Savoie can help Edmonton land a game-changing goalie, it would be something that the Oilers would need to consider.
Oilers Young Forward Named Top Trade Chip to Land New Goalie