The Edmonton Oilers have another serious goalie problem

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Liam McCormick
January 6, 2024 (8:48)

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When the Oilers cratered to second last place in the league at the start of the season, it was in large part due to awful goaltending. Jack Campbell played himself into a demotion to the AHL, and Skinner being inconsistent. Now that the team has won 14 of their last 17 games, the pressure is off GM Ken Holland to make another move, even though now the Oilers are finding themselves with a different goalie problem.

Now, ironically by ignoring Jack Campbell, the Oilers have found another goalie problem. Skinner has found a level of consistency and has been playing well, and Calvin Pickard has proven to be a successful backup on a cheap contract. At the same time, the Oilers have a goalie brimming with elite potential in Olivier Rodrigue in the AHL, and now he seems stuck there.

According to Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Athletic, the sudden turnaround for the Oilers goaltending having success is going to force more decisions quickly, especially if Rodrigue is blocked from playing games at the NHL level. The team was planning on calling up Rodrigue to see if he had what it takes to stay in the NHL this year before going to the trade market for a goalie, but now, it seems likely Pickard would be claimed on waivers if Rodrigue was recalled. Even though Pickard has played well, the Oilers still need a goaltender as proper insurance for Skinner in a playoff situation and need to evaluate Rodrigue in the NHL. Nugent-Bowman's excerpt reads below:

Though there's been a groundswell of support to see Olivier Rodrigue get his first taste of NHL action, Pickard requires waivers to be sent to AHL Bakersfield. Pickard's minuscule $762,500 cap hit for just this season means he'd be a strong candidate to be claimed. And the Oilers can't afford to lose Pickard, at least until they upgrade on him. That's just it. With due respect to Pickard, that upgrade is essential. The Oilers are a Stuart Skinner injury away from being in big trouble.

It seems likely then that the Oilers are still prioritizing a trade for a goaltender before the deadline. Being in a tight salary cap situation, Nugent-Bowman lists Warren Foegele, Brett Kulak, Cody Ceci, or Jack Campbell as players the Oilers could trade to free up space for a goalie. For now, we'll just have to wait and see - and hope the Oilers can find a way to call up Rodrigue.