The Oilers' goaltending issues may have been solved by their rivals?

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Ryan Hall
November 18, 2023 (11:39 PM)

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The Oilers organization has been going through turmoil over the last number of weeks as their season started in disaster. The team has been underperforming, and one position, in particular, has been a real sore spot.

The Oilers have not received proper goaltending, and this has paralyzed the rest of the team as they have attempted to be more defensive, which has depleted the goal-scoring.

The Oilers decided to make a change behind the bench when CEO Jeff Jackson and general manager Ken Holland fired Jay Woodcroft and Dave Manson and hired Kris Knoblauch and Oilers legendary defenseman Paul Coffey. The new coaching tandem has seen the team win two games in a row, but this goaltending issue still underpins the potential for long-term success.

According to nhltraderumors dot me, the Calgary Flames have stated they are open for business and that it appears one of their goaltenders, Dan Vladar, is on the block. The site explains that two teams show interest in Vladar, who are the Colorado Avalanche and the Edmonton Oilers.

The Avalanche need a backup goalie now that Pavel Francouz will miss the remainder of the 2023/24 season due to a groin injury. The 33-year-old goaltender underwent surgery to repair the issue, but his rehab is taking far longer than expected. Vladar would certainly stabilize their net and give relief to Avs starter Alexandar Georgiev.

Stuart Skinner has been anointed as the number one goalie now, with Calvin Pickard as the backup. Even though they are division rivals, with the Flames putting up the white flag and potentially trading the bulk of their defence in the coming months, Vladar holds a $2.2 million cap hit for the next two seasons and the Flames could recoup and asset or two.

It would require a contract heading back and potentially the Flames retaining some salary to make the trade work.

Time will tell whether this will happen, but to turn the season around and make a meaningful run to the playoffs, the Oilers need to address their goaltenders sooner rather than later.