The Edmonton Oilers are wasting the prime years of Connor McDavid with mediocre goaltending.
Edmonton hasn’t had a starting goaltender with a save percentage above .910 since the 2022-23 season. That’s the season that Stuart Skinner (.913 SV%) was a finalist for the Calder Memorial Trophy.
Oilers GM Stan Bowman attempted to solve this issue by trading Stuart Skinner to Pittsburgh for Tristan Jarry. Jarry has two more years left with a cap hit of $5.375 million. He hasn’t had a season above .910 SV% since 2021-22.
Jarry played in 19 games for the Oilers after joining them in December. He had an awful 3.86 goals against average and .858 SV%. Jarry became the backup to Connor Ingram by season’s end. Sad, considering that Ingram hadn’t played NHL hockey in almost a year. Ingram wasn’t impressive either. During the playoffs, he recorded a 3.86 GAA and .876 SV% through five games.
For an Oilers team trying to prove to McDavid that they are capable of winning in the next two years, the goaltending has been unimpressive. Stan Bowman needs to figure out how to fix this issue, or he will be the next one out the door.
Oilers Goaltending Trade Options
Filip Gustavsson:
Edmonton could try to acquire a guy like Filip Gustavsson. He is 27 years old, and has a winning career record of 111-74-2,6 and holds a 2.67 GAA and a .911 SV%. His playoff stats are nearly identical to those. Gustavsson could be available because the Minnesota Wild favors their young superstar, Jesper Wallstedt.
Jordan Binnington:
Another option via trade is Jordan Binnington of the St. Louis Blues. Binnington (32) is coming off the worst season of his career, but could use a change of scenery. Although his career stats are mediocre, his playoff stats (2.70 GAA and a .909 SV%) are still a huge upgrade over what the Oilers currently have.
Anthony Stolarz:
Anthony Stolarz did not have a great second season in Toronto. His record of 10-10-3 was a big dip from his successful 2024-25 season (21-8-3). Stolarz also saw a big drop in his stats (3.28 GAA and .893 SV%). However, if he can return to the form that helped him post a 2.14 GAA and a .926 SV%, he could be what the Oilers need.
Free Agent Options
Frederik Andersen:
Frederik Andersen has to be at the top of the list. The 36-year-old from Denmark is having the playoffs of his life. He has an 8-0 record with a 1.12 GAA and a .950 SV% with two shutouts in the 2026 NHL playoffs. Andersen is hoping to help the Carolina Hurricanes get past the Montreal Canadiens and move on to the Stanley Cup final.
Sergei Bobrovsky:
The Oilers are very familiar with Sergei Bobrovsky. He beat them twice in the Stanley Cup finals with the Florida Panthers. Bobrovsky (37) had an off year (27-23-1), but so did the Panthers. If Edmonton wants a goaltender with playoff experience, Bobrovsky definitely qualifies.
