Report: Edmonton Oilers may not be done in net
By Zach Laing
2 years agoIt appears the Edmonton Oilers might not be done in its hunt for a goaltender.
The team may still be looking at improving their situation in net after failing to address the situation in the off-season, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman penned in his first 32 Thoughts column of the season.
I don’t think Edmonton is done in goal. That storyline sticks around for a while. @Mike Smith will be there, but what happens around him?
The Oilers gave it a college try in free agency and the trade market, but prioritized other areas of the roster in acquiring @Zach Hyman, @Warren Foegele, @Derek Ryan, @Duncan Keith, and @Cody Ceci.
It wasn’t exactly for a lack of trying, either. The team was rumoured to be in discussions with the Columbus Blue Jackets surrounding Elvis Merzlikins or Joonas Korpisalo, but nothing materialized.
Daily Faceoff and The Nation Network’s Frank Seravalli reported the asking price for Korpisalo to be @Mikko Koskinen, @Dmitri Samorukov, and a first-round pick.
The club also were deep in talks with the Arizona Coyotes around @Darcy Kuemper, but was ultimately outbid by the Colorado Avalanche.
One team to keep an eye on is the Dallas Stars. In early August, Friedman and Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek theorized that Anton Khudobin could be a goaltender the Oilers target in a trade to pair alongside Smith. Dallas has Ben Bishop in net and signed Braden Holtby this past offseason meaning if Bishop is healthy, Khudobin could be on the outside looking in.
Edmonton is bringing in six goaltenders to training camp which kicked off with medicals and fitness testing Wednesday.
Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@oilersnation.com.
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