The Edmonton Oilers could’ve approached the goalie position differently in the offseason.
Their moves left them with a trio of Tristan Jarry, Devon Levi and an injured Frederik Andersen.
Those decisions also may have left the Oilers with a goalie situation that could be tough to salvage.
Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl can only lead to so many goals. At some point, the defensive end of the ice has to get the job done in Edmonton, too.
That’s why as the name Connor Hellebuyck has continued to float around as a trade candidate away from the Winnipeg Jets, the Oilers have seemed like an intriguing landing spot.
The problem is that one important element is out of their control.
Oilers Missing Key Piece
The Oilers don’t have any control over whether Hellebuyck would waive his no-trade clause to come to Edmonton.
There was at least some doubt all along over the idea of Hellebuyck wanting to play for any team in Canada, not just Edmonton.
“The Toronto Maple Leafs moved two goalies this summer, including Joseph Woll, who has good career numbers and could probably be counted on as at least a 1B,” Sportsnet’s Michael Amato wrote on Sunday. “Sergei Bobrovsky, a two-time Cup and Vezina winner who is a future Hall of Famer, also hit the market. Then there’s Connor Hellebuyck, who demanded a trade months ago and is still sitting at home. Granted, some of these things may be out of the Oilers’ control, like whether Bobrovsky had interest in Edmonton or if Hellebuyck would even waive his no-move clause for a Canadian team. But it certainly does feel like solidifying the goaltending hasn’t been as big of a priority as it should be in Edmonton.”
That one long paragraph from Amato actually drives a lot of points home.
Yes, the Oilers may have made sense for Hellebuyck, but the American goalie may not have been interested in reverse.
It also shows the Edmonton could’ve pursue other goalies that they also didn’t go after.
As far as Hellebuyck goes, the NHL is filled with no-trade clauses now. They’ve impacted a lot of drama in the past year.
It’d be fascinating to know what an alternate reality would like like if Hellebuyck had no such clause in his contract.
How Oilers Got Here
The Oilers have made three goalie moves since the calendar turned to 2026.
The first was to trade for Tristan Jarry from the Pittsburgh Penguins in a deal that sent Stuart Skinner the other way.
The next was to nab Frederik Andersen in free agency, although the aging veteran is often injured, like he is to begin this season.
And they also traded for Devon Levi from the Buffalo Sabres, a promising if flawed prospect.
Jarry and Levi have both had ugly outings so far, just emphasizing the point that maybe the Oilers should’ve done something different.
Oilers Missing Control for Connor Hellebuyck Trade With Jets