Oilers connected to veteran starting goalie in trade
It's been a remarkable turn around for the Oilers after general manager Ken Holland decided to make a coaching change.
The new staff gutted the old schemes and decided to bring back the Oilers to their roots which is speed, skill and offence. It also gained a boost when legendary Oilers defenseman Paul Coffey became the assistant coach.
With all the good news that's occurred recently, there's still an underlying issue with the team that needs to be addressed which is adding a second goaltender. Stuart Skinner has been fantastic in the Oilers recent surge however; the team needs to find a backup as soon as possible as they could be one goalie injury away from complete disaster.
It's likely that it will come in a trade as Oilers reporter Jim Matheson posted on the X platform that one appears to be on the radar for Holland, and it happens to be Hawks goalie Petr Mrazek.
The idea of acquiring a veteran goaltender like Mrazek could bode well for the Oilers. The teams defensive capabilities are far better than the Chicago Blackhawks and with their attention to detail lately he could give them some quality starts to give Skinner a break.
It's also likely that the Hawks would be willing to retain $3.8 million of his salary as the team continues to be mired in their rebuild and have shown that they would be willing to take on money to get those draft picks they so desperately need.
As the Oilers are tight to the cap like many contenders, it would be expected the trade will be larger than just a goaltender for a pick. It's possible the Oilers could solve a few other problems along the way like adding a bottom 6 forward who is on an expiring deal with playoff experience.
No matter the case, shopping for a goaltender is paramount and must be on Holland's To Do List.
| POLL | ||
Will the Oilers trade for Hawks goalie Petr Mrazek? | ||
| Yes - he can provide some relief for Skinner | 193 | 47 % |
| No - He's not what they need | 218 | 53 % |
| List of polls | ||
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