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Pagnotta talks Jarry trade, the Oilers’ backup goaltender, and a GM change in Buffalo
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Photo credit: Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images
Michael Menzies
Dec 15, 2025, 20:00 ESTUpdated: Dec 15, 2025, 19:29 EST
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NHL insider David Pagnotta believes the Edmonton Oilers got to the point where they were willing to “suck it up” and include Stuart Skinner and Brett Kulak in the move to acquire Tristan Jarry, despite wanting to keep both of them.
Pagnotta joined Oilersnation Everyday with Tyler Yaremchuk and Liam Horrobin on Monday to discuss the Oilers and other league-wide moves. 
He said that suggested trade targets like Juuse Saros and Jordan Binnington would be too expensive, either due to contract or in a trade package.
Pagnotta added that general manager Stan Bowman has been having these goalie conversations since the draft.
​“They didn’t want to lose them. They wanted to make the money work, but they [Skinner, Kulak] were really the only way to do it,” said Pagnotta. “That’s what I mean by them having to accept the fact that, okay, we have to change our little internal philosophy a little bit and move forward with this.
“This isn’t something that just came to them on a whim. This wasn’t Minnesota and Quinn Hughes, where it took only a week and they got things going. This is something that they were kicking tires on going back to the draft.
​“This is a guy [Jarry] that they zeroed in on, and they wanted. With two more years left in his contract and a palatable cap hit for a starting goalie, you kind of check that box.”

Pickard’s status

​Questions still loom about whether the Oilers will improve on their backup goaltending. Bowman said Calvin Pickard, “will remain with the team” following the Jarry deal. The Oilers could look to call up Connor Ingram, too, despite subpar stats with the Bakersfield Condors.
For example, Laurent Brossoit was placed on waivers by the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday, and there isn’t room to add him to their NHL roster.
The 33-year-old former Edmonton Oiler carries a $3.3 million cap hit in the final year of his contract. Liam suggested he could be a name to acquire.
“There are still creative ways to make money work here,” said Pagnotta. “If you send Pickard on waivers, and you clear out that million dollars, and then you have Tomášek, and other guys that you could possibly go that route, or other guys that don’t need to go through waivers.
“I just don’t know definitively if that’s the route that the Oilers want to take.”
Pickard started Sunday against the Montreal Canadiens, saving 23 of 27 shots, but didn’t get much support from the skaters in front of him in a 4-1 loss. The plan is to give Jarry the majority of starts.
“That’s probably an area that would at some point be addressed. But I still think there are other areas of this team, other holes on this team that they’d like to work on.”

Sabre-rattling?

The Buffalo Sabres were carrying three goalies on their active roster until Colten Ellis was injured against the Oilers last Tuesday.
With general manager Kevyn Adams fired on Monday, and former Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekäläinen promoted into the role, is there an appetite to move either Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen or Alex Lyon?  
Elliotte Friedman believes the Oilers have been interested in Lyon before.
“I still think that one in particular is probably summer-related,” said Pagnotta. “But now with Jarmo Kekäläinen, and the aggressive nature that they want him to have, maybe those types of discussions pick up.
“The other one is Alex Tuch. What do they do there? What do they do with some of their other players? Is there enough now in your messaging that’s going to convince Alex Tuch to be confident enough that they can start to get through a competitive season. And that over the tenure of his contract, he’ll be comfortable in the notion that this is going to be a playoff-type team?”
Oilersnation Everyday with Tyler and Liam airs at noon from Monday to Friday.

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