Through the first quarter of the 2025-26 season, the Edmonton Oilers are facing a familiar problem: an inconsistent goaltending duo that isn’t giving them enough. The results continue to trend in the wrong direction for Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard, and the organization’s patience may be wearing thin.

TSN Hockey insider Darren Dreger discussed potential trade partners on OverDrive this Thursday, citing the organizational depth for the Boston Bruins and Buffalo Sabres as opportunities for Edmonton.

“I can’t imagine Bowman isn’t making calls, Buffalo’s carrying three guys; Boston has depth in that position; goalies not playing in the NHL that could be considered an upgrade; you’ve got the Connor Ingram experiment,” said Dreger.

With Alex Lyon’s success this season and Colton Ellis working his way into the Sabres’ rotation, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is a guy the Sabres might be looking to move.

On the Bruins’ side of things, Jeremy Swayman and Joonas Korpisalo continue to block 26-year-old Michael DiPietro from a chance at an NHL job despite sparkling numbers in the AHL. He finished with a .927 SV% for the Providence Bruins last season and has a .932 in his first eight starts this year. He might be an option if the Oilers consider him an upgrade on Pickard.

Last week, NHL Network insider Pagnotta named the Montreal Canadiens’ duo as another one to watch.

“If…Dobes is playing well…Montembeault starts to increase his game, I’m very curious if the Canadiens are in a position to consider that type of a move; I’d be also curious…if the Oilers may want to go in that type of direction,” said Pagnotta.

Montembeault is coming off a fantastic 2024-25 with the Canadiens, but has struggled so far this season. Rookie Jakub Dobes has been the better netminder in Montreal through the first quarter of the season, and their top goalie prospect Jacob Fowler is off to a great start to his first pro campaign for the Laval Rocket.

Buying low on Montembeault could be an interesting move, considering he has been a reliable starter for several years before his recent slump. But Edmonton might not make that move mid-season unless Montembeault starts to show signs of improvement.

And then, there’s Connor Ingram, whom the Oilers bought low on at the start of the season. If he can continue to improve after a tough start in Bakersfield, he has the upside to be a potential solution down the line.

The case for bargain-bin goalie additions

Fans often want a big splash when it comes to trades. Former Vezina Trophy candidates, Juuse Saros and Ilya Sorokin, are sometimes cited as ideal targets for the Oilers. Unfortunately, those types of acquisitions aren’t easy to pull off, especially mid-season.

Both Saros and Sorokin are locked into long-term deals worth well over $7 million annually. The contracts are too long to expect salary retention, and the Oilers don’t have much money to move out due to all of the trade-protected contracts on the roster. I don’t see a realistic way for Edmonton to make room for contracts like these until the offseason.

And of course, there’s the volatility of goaltending, which makes committing that kind of money a risky proposition in the first place. Even Saros and Sorokin have been vulnerable to down years in the past. Saros, in particular, had an underwhelming 2024-25 season, posting a .896 SV% and -4.68 GSAx, according to Evolving Hockey.

The goalies circulating in the rumour mill lately might not be the sexiest additions, but history has proven that there can be value in shopping for goalies in the bargain bin instead of making the flashy move.

The Pittsburgh Penguins acquired Arturs Silovs in July for Chase Stillman and a fourth-round pick, and he’s rewarded them with a fantastic season, ranking near the top of the league this year in most key metrics.

The San Jose Sharks traded Mackenzie Blackwood last season in early December to the Colorado Avalanche, who didn’t give up a first-round pick or a blue-chip prospect in the deal. He completely turned their season around, becoming an immediate upgrade.

The Vegas Golden Knights dealt Logan Thompson to the Washington Capitals for a pair of third-round picks in 2024, and he’s given them Vezina-calibre goaltending ever since. The list goes on.

Opportunity, environment, and confidence are all seemingly more impactful with goalies than with any other position. Buying low on good goalies stuck in crowded organizational depth charts is a type of bet that has historically paid off without the cap risk and assets required to trade for the big names. It appears that might be the direction the Oilers are headed, at the very least, as a stopgap until next offseason, when they will have a much better cap situation.

Now, that doesn’t mean Edmonton should be enthusiastic about every cheap trade candidate available — Luukkonen, for example, might not be a risky acquisition given that he’s only in year two of a five-year deal worth $4.7M annually and has yet to live up to that contract. Searching the bargain bin isn’t about making an easy move for the sake of change and praying it works out; it’s about making smart bets on underrated players.

At some point, the Oilers will need to make a real effort to stabilize their crease. If they play it right, and take a calculated swing based on quality scouting and data analysis, the answer in goal may not be the marquee name everyone expects — but the bargain they never saw coming.

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