The Edmonton Oilers have a goaltending problem and they only have a few days to solve it.
The team’s tandem of Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard, who led them to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final last spring, have looked largely shaky this season, posting a combined .897 save percentage and -7.6 goals saved above average through 61 games.
We’ve talked about John Gibson and Karel Vejmelka as potential additions and another name that’s come up as a possibility recently is Thatcher Demko of the Vancouver Canucks. Edmonton’s Pacific Division rival recently gave goaltender Kevin Lankinen a five-year contract extension, meaning Demko could be on the way out.
The idea on paper sounds fun but unrealistic. Let’s say in another universe, the Oilers reach out to the Canucks to see if Demko is available, what could this move look like? I reached out to David Quadrelli from CanucksArmy to get a better understanding of what’s going on with Vancouver’s goaltending situation and how the Oilers could capitalize. 
Why would the Vancouver Canucks want to move Thatcher Demko, a perennial Vezina Trophy candidate when healthy? Please explain it to those of us in Edmonton who are unaware of what’s happening over there.
Basically, Thatcher Demko’s health problems have gotten to the point that the Canucks decided to extend Kevin Lankinen long-term.
With one year left on Demko’s contract, I don’t think the Canucks want to pay $9+ million on goaltending, so I’d think they’ll look to trade him. They believe in Lankinen, and they’re going to go with him moving forward, it seems.
Now, I don’t know if they’ll want to trade him within their own division, but as I look at the Oilers, to me it feels like goaltending is their biggest area of need.
If I’m them, I’m calling about Demko. I’ve been a fan of Stuart Skinner’s game, but ultimately I think they need someone capable of stealing them a game to get them to the next level and their ultimate goal. If Gibson is going to cost an arm and a leg and be a bit of a wild card in his own right, a lottery ticket on Demko is at least an avenue I’d explore if I were the Oilers.
Should the Oilers be worried about Demko’s injury history if the Canucks are keen on moving him? The 29-year-old has an .891 save percentage and -4.4 goals saved above average in 17 games this season.
The thing about Demko is that after that knee issue held him out until mid-November, it took him a bit of time to find his game. Then, he exited with back spasms and missed a few games. Then, he got back to his Vezina-calibre level before going down with another lower-body injury.
But they’re not the same injuries. Do with that what you will. I’d say there’s a solid chance he once again bounces back to that Vezina level, but because the Canucks have Lankinen and have committed long term to him, it has made Demko more expendable.
It’s basically like buying a lottery ticket, and if I’m the Oilers, I’m playing the odds of that, especially if Demko can be had for a relatively low acquisition cost. Really, it comes down to: how much better do the Oilers’ cup odds get if they have a top three goaltender in the league backstopping them?
The one thing that stumps me about the idea of the Oilers going after Demko is that it’s not easy to trade with a divisional rival, which we already know from the speculation about Gibson from Anaheim. But if the Canucks are actually looking to save money by moving Demko, what would they be looking for in return? 
It’s tough to say. I can’t see the market being huge for Demko. I also don’t know for certain the Canucks don’t just want to keep him as their own lottery ticket, but if they do want to get rid of him, I’d say maybe a second or third round pick. Likely second. Don’t think anyone is going to jump up to a first given the uncertainty around his health.
Thank you to David Quadrelli for his time and insight on the Canucks. It’s hard to envision Demko becoming an Oiler, but as I said at the beginning of the article, it’s a fun idea to ponder.
If you polled fans of the Oilers, it’s likely that the majority of answers about what the team needs ahead of Friday’s trade deadline is a goaltender. However, the team has been pretty tight-lipped on the goalie front and haven’t explicitly addressed it as an area the team would like to improve. Just recently, Frank Seravalli interviewed general manager Stan Bowman, who said ‘No’ to the idea of the Oilers trading for a goalie.
What do you think? Should the Oilers be calling the Canucks about Demko? What should we expect from the front office?