The Edmonton Oilers and Goaltending
The Chris Johnston Show: Chris Johnston, when asked about the Edmonton Oilers and their goaltending.
** NHLRumors.com transcriptions
Julien McKenzie: “Any of the other Canadian teams, and we kind of mentioned Edmonton, the fact that they’ve had interest in maybe adding a goaltender, or anyone else around the country worth mentioning?
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Johnston: “Yeah, I mean, they got a big shutout from Stuart Skinner on the weekend. So, you know, it feels like every day for the Oilers is kind of a little bit of a trial by fire. But that was an encouraging win for them over the weekend.
And, you know, they definitely are looking at the goaltending market. I mean, the reports that are out there are accurate. You know, Tristan Jarry, someone they’ve considered, but I don’t know if it’s ever going to line up just right.
And maybe, you know, it could almost be as simple as, you know, they’ve been very patient for a reason with Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard. I mean, those players don’t earn a lot against the cap. Obviously those, those guys have each delivered a lot of big moments for that organization the last few years.
So, you know, you can point to some of the holes or the off nights, but you can also point to some big, big moments in the playoffs with each of those goaltenders, frankly. You know, Pickard came in last year in the playoffs, and they went on a nice run with him in net. And similarly, you know, if you remember the first Dallas series in the Western Conference Final, the ice was tilted against the Oilers for a lot of that, and you know, it was Skinner having, you know, some big nights.
So, you know, I don’t think they’re clearly not in a rush to do anything. I think that they’ve long wanted to just try to get through this chop, this choppy period for the team and let things settle and like truly evaluate where they are. You know, it was threatening there, I think, you know, the you take 7-3 losses and 9-1 losses at home, like you get to a point where patience is does wear a little thin.
But ultimately, you know, if you’re the Oilers and you’re making, you’re bringing another goalie, the odds are that goalie is going to make more money against the cap than the two guys you have. Which, which just comes with the more you spend there, the less you can spend somewhere else. And you got to be sure you’re making an improvement on the team.
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So I don’t think they’ve got to that spot just yet, and, you know, I’m sure they’re just hoping, hey, this is the start of another great Stuart Skinner run, and maybe all this talk dies away for a little while.
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