In the aftermath of another loss to the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final, many expect the <a href="https://oilersnation.com/">Edmonton Oilers</a> to finally bolster their goaltending after years of dealing with the inconsistencies of Stuart Skinner.

While the Oilers made it to the championship series for the second year in a row, and Skinner had another hot streak against the likes of the Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars to get them there, how the 26-year-old floundered against the Panthers has left a sour taste in mouths of fans in Edmonton and beyond.
That leads us to this offseason, when general manager Stan Bowman has options to make a change, but will have to be ready to<a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/edmonton-oilers-thoughts-evan-bouchards-contract-looking-for-goaltender"> pony up some cash</a> to make it happen.
On Monday&#8217;s edition of The Sheet, host Jeff Marek says that Edmonton has to be ready to spend some cap space to acquire better talent between the pipes.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Shaking Things Up ft. Mason Marchment &amp; David Pagnotta | The Sheet with Jeff Marek" width="1424" height="801" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7f7bGi_qj0k?start=3868&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<blockquote>&#8220;I do believe that the Oilers are in a situation now where they&#8217;re prepared and probably have to overpay to get their goaltender,&#8221; Marek said.</blockquote>
The Daily Faceoff talent brought up a couple of times where the Oilers had the <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/oilers-expected-to-scour-trade-market-in-search-for-goaltending-help-go-to-players-with-options">chance of getting better goaltenders</a> in the past, but whether it be because it seemed too expensive or there was limited interest from the other party, the team failed to get deals done.
<blockquote>&#8220;There have been a lot of different times&#8230;Ever since Markstrom ended up going to Calgary for the extra year and not Edmonton, that the Oilers have been offered certain goaltenders. I can remember Joonas Korpisalo, specifically, where they&#8217;ve considered it too much of an overpayment. So, they haven&#8217;t made the deal. A lot of times, I believe,  that Ken Holland was presented with certain goaltenders, but the prices were always too high for him and the Edmonton Oilers. I think there&#8217;s an internal understanding now that Edmonton probably has to overpay and has to be fine with it.&#8221;</blockquote>
If the Oilers were to go out and get a better netminder, they would have to offload either Skinner or Calvin Pickard, or both. Each has one more year on their current contracts, with Skinner&#8217;s deal having an AAV of $2.6 million and Pickard costing $1 million. Pickard has shown he can be a sustainable backup, putting up better numbers than Skinner this past postseason.
Many are pointing to Edmonton <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/goalies-edmonton-oilers-could-target-trade-market-off-season">pursuing Anaheim Ducks goaltender John Gibson</a>. However, despite the Oilers having over $10.5 million in projected cap space next year, they still have Evan Bouchard&#8217;s contract extension to deal with. Also, Gibson&#8217;s contract carries a $6.4 million cap hit through the 2026-27 season, along with his inability to stay healthy.
The Oilers could also <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/free-agent-goalies-edmonton-oilers-could-target">look to the free agent pool</a> to find their next masked man. Backstops like Jake Allen and Alex Lyon could prove to be solid fits with the team if given the chance.
Regardless of what Bowman and the Oilers do this offseason, it&#8217;s clear the time is now for the team to forcefully pursue a new goaltender. The team is in a window to win right now, but Skinner or Pickard are not the guys who will take the team to the Promised Land. If it means spending an extra dollar or two, so be it.
<hr />
<h2><a href="http://LitcoLaw.com">Presented by Litco Law</a></h2>
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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.

Edmonton Oilers Stuart Skinner Calvin Pickard

In the aftermath of another loss to the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final, many expect the <a href="https://oilersnation.com/">Edmonton Oilers</a> to finally bolster their goaltending after years of dealing with the inconsistencies of Stuart Skinner.



While the Oilers made it to the championship series for the second year in a row, and Skinner had another hot streak against the likes of the Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars to get them there, how the 26-year-old floundered against the Panthers has left a sour taste in mouths of fans in Edmonton and beyond.

That leads us to this offseason, when general manager Stan Bowman has options to make a change, but will have to be ready to<a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/edmonton-oilers-thoughts-evan-bouchards-contract-looking-for-goaltender"> pony up some cash</a> to make it happen.

On Monday's edition of The Sheet, host Jeff Marek says that Edmonton has to be ready to spend some cap space to acquire better talent between the pipes.

https://www.youtube.com/live/7f7bGi_qj0k?t=3868s
<blockquote>"I do believe that the Oilers are in a situation now where they're prepared and probably have to overpay to get their goaltender," Marek said.</blockquote>
The Daily Faceoff talent brought up a couple of times where the Oilers had the <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/oilers-expected-to-scour-trade-market-in-search-for-goaltending-help-go-to-players-with-options">chance of getting better goaltenders</a> in the past, but whether it be because it seemed too expensive or there was limited interest from the other party, the team failed to get deals done.
<blockquote>"There have been a lot of different times...Ever since Markstrom ended up going to Calgary for the extra year and not Edmonton, that the Oilers have been offered certain goaltenders. I can remember Joonas Korpisalo, specifically, where they've considered it too much of an overpayment. So, they haven't made the deal. A lot of times, I believe,  that Ken Holland was presented with certain goaltenders, but the prices were always too high for him and the Edmonton Oilers. I think there's an internal understanding now that Edmonton probably has to overpay and has to be fine with it."</blockquote>
If the Oilers were to go out and get a better netminder, they would have to offload either Skinner or Calvin Pickard, or both. Each has one more year on their current contracts, with Skinner's deal having an AAV of $2.6 million and Pickard costing $1 million. Pickard has shown he can be a sustainable backup, putting up better numbers than Skinner this past postseason.

Many are pointing to Edmonton <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/goalies-edmonton-oilers-could-target-trade-market-off-season">pursuing Anaheim Ducks goaltender John Gibson</a>. However, despite the Oilers having over $10.5 million in projected cap space next year, they still have Evan Bouchard's contract extension to deal with. Also, Gibson's contract carries a $6.4 million cap hit through the 2026-27 season, along with his inability to stay healthy.

The Oilers could also <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/free-agent-goalies-edmonton-oilers-could-target">look to the free agent pool</a> to find their next masked man. Backstops like Jake Allen and Alex Lyon could prove to be solid fits with the team if given the chance.

Regardless of what Bowman and the Oilers do this offseason, it's clear the time is now for the team to forcefully pursue a new goaltender. The team is in a window to win right now, but Skinner or Pickard are not the guys who will take the team to the Promised Land. If it means spending an extra dollar or two, so be it.

<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.

Marek: Oilers will ‘probably have to overpay to get their goaltender’ this summer

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