The Edmonton Oilers, once again, are a mess in net. Starter Stuart Skinner has an .878 save percentage and a 3.18 goals-against average in 18 games this year. Backup Calvin Pickard has an .847 SP and 4.04 GAA in nine games.
So you understand why goaltending trade rumors are surfacing, connecting the Oilers and Pittsburgh Penguins veteran Tristan Jarry.
The 30-year-old Jarry has a 7-2-0 record, a .912 SP and a 2.58 GAA this season. This, from a guy who struggled last season, posting a 16-12-6 record, an .893 SP and a 3.12 GAA, who was also waived (with no takers) and demoted to the AHL.
But that won’t stop teams with netminding issues from knocking on Pittsburgh’s door and concluding that, with a change of pace, Jarry could be at the same level he was at in 2021-22, when he posted a .919 SP and a 2.42 GAA.
The Oilers might want the Penguins to retain some of his $5.375 million salary because, with an additional two years remaining on Jarry’s contract, any team would be making quite the investment by trading for him. There’s enough doubt about the longevity of Jarry’s current hot streak to prevent a trade from happening for him anytime soon.
But with that out of the way, we have to say, the Oilers can’t blame Skinner and Pickard entirely for their defensive woes. Yes, Edmonton’s team save percentage is the worst in the league, but the Oilers allowed the 10th-most high-danger chances against at all strengths, as per naturalstattrick.com. So, despite allowing the 10th-fewest shots per game, many of those are high-danger chances.
Here’s another fun stat: Skinner has one goal saved above expected, according to moneypuck.com. St. Louis Blues goalie Jordan Binnington – another name connected to the Oilers in trade rumors – has minus-5 goals saved above expected. So again, Jarry looks at this moment like the better bet for Edmonton.
In any case, the Oilers need to do something. Yes, even a trade just for the heck of it. It hasn’t been working out with Skinner and Pickard, and you don’t want to waste another year of Connor McDavid’s and Leon Draisaitl’s primes because you were too stubborn to admit defeat and move on.
Admitting defeat and moving on was what the Colorado Avalanche did last year. Both Avs goalies at the start of the season were disposed of. This year, their replacements are thriving as part of the best team in the NHL. So, Edmonton needs to follow the Avs’ lead and make a change between the pipes, lest another season slip through their fingers and into the back of the Oilers’ net.
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