The Edmonton Oilers’ search for an upgrade in goal is one of the worst-kept secrets in the NHL at the moment. The situation has gotten to the point where James Mirtle of The Athletic addressed the situation in his August 27 mailbag. In the piece, Mirtle described the Oilers as potentially “desperate enough” to send “prime assets” for a valuable goalie.
In particular, Mirtle singled out the St. Louis Blues as a potential target. That situation brings to mind a thought: The Oilers could swing a deal for 2019 Stanley Cup-winning netminder Jordan Binnington.
There’s no solid indication that the Blues are looking to deal Binnington. But considering how protective they were of Joel Hofer this summer, there might be an inkling of a deal there. Of course, Mirtle’s idea of the Blues trading a goalie depends on the team falling apart this season.
If that’s the case, here’s what a potential Oilers-Blues trade involving Binnington could look like:
Oilers get:
Jordan Binnington, G
2026 fifth-round pick
Blues get:
Stuart Skinner, G
Isaac Howard, F
2027 first-round pick
2028 second-round pick
The price to land Jordan Binnington would be steep for the Oilers. The Blues would get Stuart Skinner as the club would need an NHL-level goalie to play with Hofer. Second, the Oilers would need to part with their best prospect. That would be former Hobey Baker Award winner Isaac Howard.
As for the draft picks, the Oilers don’t have a first-rounder in 2026. But they do have one in 2027. The 2028 second-round pick would round out the package.
It’s worth pointing out that the Oilers don’t have much in the way of prospects or high draft picks. So, Edmonton would need to part with its best prospect at the very least.
Oilers Would Get Proven Winner in Binnington
Jordan Binnington, despite not being regarded as a perennial Vezina contender, is a proven winner. He seemingly came out of nowhere to lead the Blues to an improbable Stanley Cup run in 2019.
Since then, Binnington has been money in the bank at various stages. He more recently led Team Canada to a gold medal at the 4 Nations Face-Off last February. He also backstopped the Blues to a wildcard spot this past season, despite few picking them to make the playoffs.
With a much better team in front of him, Binnington could excel in Edmonton. The Oilers’ offense and blue line core are a step above the Blues. So, it’s fair to assume that landing Binnington could be the piece the Oilers have been looking for.
Edmonton Would Need to Make Room for Binnington under the Cap
Jordan Binnington has two years left on his current deal at $6.4 million against the cap. As such, the Oilers would need to clear some room. As it stands, the team has about $225K left over. If all things remain equal, Edmonton would accrue about $1 million at the deadline.
Shipping out Skinner’s $2.6 million would help. But the team would still need to clear more room to fit Binnington’s cap hit.
Overall, the deal seems doable. But Edmonton GM Stan Bowman will need to set his pieces in place in order to make the deal work. Oilers Fans should bear in mind that anything is possible in the NHL.
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