There was some movement in the goaltending market during Day 2 of the NHL Entry Draft Saturday morning, but none of it is news that <a href="http://oilersnation.com/combinations">Edmonton Oilers</a> fans will want to hear.

The first move saw the Detroit Red Wings <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/detroit-red-wings-john-gibson-anaheim-ducks-petr-mrazek-picks-trade">acquire netminder John Gibson</a> from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for goaltender Petr Mrazek, a second-round pick in 2027 and a fourth-round pick in 2026. Gibson has seemingly been linked to the Oilers as long as his name has been in the rumour mill in recent years, yet the price was lower than what&#8217;s been rumoured.
It&#8217;s a sign that the goaltending market may not be as expensive to enter <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/jeff-marek-edmnton-oilers-will-overpay-address-goaltending-woes-off-season">as has been expected</a>. However, what&#8217;s noticeable in this deal is that the Ducks are sending Gibson to another conference and retaining no salary in the deal — caveats that likely limited the Oilers&#8217; ability to get involved. Gibson has two years left on a deal paying him $6.4-million, and with Edmonton navigating a tight salary cap situation, they likely would&#8217;ve needed Anaheim to retain some salary.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Joel Hofer won&#39;t be subject to offer sheets after signing a two-year contract extension worth $6.8 million ($3.4 million AAV). <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/stlblues?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#stlblues</a> <a href="https://t.co/HtKzszk5wM">https://t.co/HtKzszk5wM</a>
&mdash; St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) <a href="https://twitter.com/StLouisBlues/status/1939021415480434968?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 28, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The second piece of movement saw the <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/st-louis-blues-re-sign-joel-hofer-two-year-contract-nhl-binnington">St. Louis Blues sign netminder Joel Hofer</a> to a two-year, $3.4-million AAV extension — all the while taking a shot at the Oilers in their tweet announcing the move.
<blockquote>&#8220;Joel Hofer won&#8217;t be subject to offer sheets after signing a two-year contract extension,&#8221; the Blues tweeted.</blockquote>
Hofer had loosely been linked to Edmonton as an offer sheet candidate a year after the Blues acquired former young Oilers Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg by way of offer sheet. Blues GM Doug Armstrong came out recently saying how they would match any offer sheet that came for one of their players.
There&#8217;s still options in the <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/oilers-expected-to-scour-trade-market-in-search-for-goaltending-help-go-to-players-with-options">trade market</a> like the Vancouver Canucks&#8217; Thatcher Demko — if he doesn&#8217;t sign an extension — as well as others like the Columbus Blue Jackets&#8217; Elvis Merzlikins, while there&#8217;s a very thin free agent market headlined by former New Jersey Devils netminder Jake Allen.
TSN&#8217;s Ryan Rishaug <a href="https://x.com/TSNRyanRishaug/status/1938630180849000937">reported</a> Friday that the team might end up standing pat on their goaltending situation, bringing back both Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard.
<blockquote>&#8220;I’m sure the Oilers are open to an upgrade in net, but change for the sake of change isn’t going to be made,&#8221; he posted on X.  &#8220;Tossing aside a relatively young goalie with a great cap hit and back to back cup finals under his belt won’t be taken lightly. If a clear option is found, either in tandem with or replacing Skinner they’ll explore, if it’s not I’d expect they’ll stand pat until something emerges.&#8221;</blockquote>
<hr />
Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s associate editor, senior columnist, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRSWOpthKmdtmFOKQDd7TQdTU2KSKXYvX">DFO DFS Report</a>. He can be followed on Twitter, currently known as X, at <a href="http://www.x.com/zjlaing">@zjlaing</a>, or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.
<hr />
<h2><a href="http://LitcoLaw.com">Presented by Litco Law</a></h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-173686" src="http://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2099/02/LitcoLaw_Logo_Original-1-1024x161.png" alt="" width="1024" height="161" srcset="https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2099/02/LitcoLaw_Logo_Original-1-1024x161.png 1024w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2099/02/LitcoLaw_Logo_Original-1-300x47.png 300w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2099/02/LitcoLaw_Logo_Original-1-768x121.png 768w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2099/02/LitcoLaw_Logo_Original-1-1536x242.png 1536w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2099/02/LitcoLaw_Logo_Original-1.png 1650w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
Litco Law has been serving Edmontonians and all of Alberta for over 50 years. A family-owned and operated company, their purpose is to balance the power for people who find themselves having to navigate the complex legal system. They can help with personal injury claims (like car accidents), employment matters (such as wrongful dismissal or severance package reviews), or if you’ve been denied long-term disability benefits. Litco Law is known for being experienced, responsive, and genuinely caring. You might not believe Lawyers You’ll Love™ exist—but they do. To learn more or book a free consultation, visit LitcoLaw.com.

There was some movement in the goaltending market during Day 2 of the NHL Entry Draft Saturday morning, but none of it is news that <a href="http://oilersnation.com/combinations">Edmonton Oilers</a> fans will want to hear.



The first move saw the Detroit Red Wings <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/detroit-red-wings-john-gibson-anaheim-ducks-petr-mrazek-picks-trade">acquire netminder John Gibson</a> from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for goaltender Petr Mrazek, a second-round pick in 2027 and a fourth-round pick in 2026. Gibson has seemingly been linked to the Oilers as long as his name has been in the rumour mill in recent years, yet the price was lower than what's been rumoured.

It's a sign that the goaltending market may not be as expensive to enter <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/jeff-marek-edmnton-oilers-will-overpay-address-goaltending-woes-off-season">as has been expected</a>. However, what's noticeable in this deal is that the Ducks are sending Gibson to another conference and retaining no salary in the deal — caveats that likely limited the Oilers' ability to get involved. Gibson has two years left on a deal paying him $6.4-million, and with Edmonton navigating a tight salary cap situation, they likely would've needed Anaheim to retain some salary.

https://twitter.com/StLouisBlues/status/1939021415480434968

The second piece of movement saw the <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/st-louis-blues-re-sign-joel-hofer-two-year-contract-nhl-binnington">St. Louis Blues sign netminder Joel Hofer</a> to a two-year, $3.4-million AAV extension — all the while taking a shot at the Oilers in their tweet announcing the move.
<blockquote>"Joel Hofer won't be subject to offer sheets after signing a two-year contract extension," the Blues tweeted.</blockquote>
Hofer had loosely been linked to Edmonton as an offer sheet candidate a year after the Blues acquired former young Oilers Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg by way of offer sheet. Blues GM Doug Armstrong came out recently saying how they would match any offer sheet that came for one of their players.

There's still options in the <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/oilers-expected-to-scour-trade-market-in-search-for-goaltending-help-go-to-players-with-options">trade market</a> like the Vancouver Canucks' Thatcher Demko — if he doesn't sign an extension — as well as others like the Columbus Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins, while there's a very thin free agent market headlined by former New Jersey Devils netminder Jake Allen.

TSN's Ryan Rishaug <a href="https://x.com/TSNRyanRishaug/status/1938630180849000937">reported</a> Friday that the team might end up standing pat on their goaltending situation, bringing back both Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard.
<blockquote>"I’m sure the Oilers are open to an upgrade in net, but change for the sake of change isn’t going to be made," he posted on X.  "Tossing aside a relatively young goalie with a great cap hit and back to back cup finals under his belt won’t be taken lightly. If a clear option is found, either in tandem with or replacing Skinner they’ll explore, if it’s not I’d expect they’ll stand pat until something emerges."</blockquote>

<hr />

Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s associate editor, senior columnist, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRSWOpthKmdtmFOKQDd7TQdTU2KSKXYvX">DFO DFS Report</a>. He can be followed on Twitter, currently known as X, at <a href="http://www.x.com/zjlaing">@zjlaing</a>, or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.

<hr />

<h2><a href="http://LitcoLaw.com">Presented by Litco Law</a></h2>
<img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-173686" src="http://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2099/02/LitcoLaw_Logo_Original-1-1024x161.png" alt="" width="1024" height="161" />
Litco Law has been serving Edmontonians and all of Alberta for over 50 years. A family-owned and operated company, their purpose is to balance the power for people who find themselves having to navigate the complex legal system. They can help with personal injury claims (like car accidents), employment matters (such as wrongful dismissal or severance package reviews), or if you’ve been denied long-term disability benefits. Litco Law is known for being experienced, responsive, and genuinely caring. You might not believe Lawyers You’ll Love™ exist—but they do. To learn more or book a free consultation, visit LitcoLaw.com.

Goaltending options dwindle for Oilers as Red Wings acquire John Gibson, Blues extend Joel Hofer

Recent articles from Zach Laing

Breaking News