The Edmonton Oilers have been linked to adding another goalie this offseason, but that hasn’t happened yet.
Heavy.com has a trade idea that would see the Oilers re-acquire Cam Talbot from the Detroit Red Wings in an intriguing move.
Oilers acquire:
Red Wings acquire:
- James Hamblin
- 2027 third-round pick
The proposed deal would be an intriguing one as Edmonton would acquire Talbot to help solidify the goalie position while Detroit gets an AHL player and a draft pick.
The Oilers would add Talbot, who could be part of a goalie tandem with Stuart Skinner. Talbot is entering the final year of his two-year, $5 million deal. Talbot played with the Oilers from 2015 until 2019 and was their starting goalie. He set the Oilers’ franchise record for most wins in a season at 42 in 2016-17. At his age, Talbot is more of a backup or a goalie tandem, but he’d add some much-needed veteran insurance alongside Skinner.
Talbot went 21-19-5 with a 2.93 GAA and a .901 SV% last season with the Red Wings. He’s a two-time NHL All-Star. Meanwhile, for Detroit, trading Talbot would allow Sebastian Cossa to come up and learn from John Gibson.
In return, Edmonton would give up a third-round pick and Hamblin, who is thrown in for contract purposes. Hamblin is entering the final year of his two-year, $1.55 million deal. Hamblin would be in the AHL and add some forward depth this season.
Oilers Could Use an Upgrade in Net
Re-acquiring Talbot makes sense for Edmonton, as he would help solidify the goalie position.
Talbot is no longer a starting goalie in the NHL, but he still can play 30-35 games and split the net with Skinner. He’d also be an upgrade over Calvin Pickard, whom Edmonton can trade for another asset.
Heading into the offseason, Oilers general manager Stan Bowman opened the door to adding a goalie this offseason.
“Well, the evaluation isn’t something you do just once or twice and then it’s over with. When I say that, it’s not just looking at the goaltending we have, but also what’s out there and options,” Bowman said. “So it’s going to be a process that we’re going to go through. I don’t think we’re going to come to one decision tomorrow or the next day. It’s really about taking in the information, and eventually, we’re going to settle on the thing that we think makes the most sense.”
“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.”
However, with no goalie brought in, the Oilers could very well keep a tandem of Skinner and Pickard for next season.
Red Wings Can Afford to Trade Talbot
Detroit made a bold move to acquire Gibson this season to be their starting goalie.
Along with that, the Red Wings have one of the top goalie prospects in Cossa, who got NHL experience last year. He could learn a ton from being the backup and being around Gibson, which could allow Detroit to trade Talbot.
“That experience was huge for me,” Cossa recently told DetroitRedWings.com. “You’re around all those guys at Training Camp and in the preseason, but when you’re there doing the real thing with them in a competitive mode like that it’s really fun. I was really happy to get the win there, grow from it and know what that’s like.”
The Red Wings also have Trey Augustine in the pipeline as another goalie prospect.
Oilers Re-Acquire Veteran Goalie as Insurance in New Trade Pitch