Shocking stats on Oilers goaltending show trade deadline upgrade is a necessity

The Oilers could commit to Skinner and Pickard turning their results around, but GM Stan Bowman has not ruled out the possibility of a goalie trade to strengthen the position.

Oilers fans on social media have added and compiled Stuart Skinner's Goals Saved Above Expected data this season, and have found a troubling lack of consistency with Skinner.

While for some stretches Skinner has been a solid goaltender this year, times where he's struggled have come for prolonged times - and the results have been poor enough to cost the Oilers games.

Skinner's results have complied on the season to be well below league average. His save percentage is now .898 on the year, and by GSAx, Edmonton ranks 10th last in the NHL.

Despite these far below league average goalie results, the Oilers are still a top 10 team in the NHL - a testament to how strong their offence and defence are.

That's why the Oilers could benefit so much from adding a goaltender to just being up the floor for the team's crease. When the Oilers get a below .900 save percentage from Skinner, their record is a brutal 6-17-2.

There are few options available for trade in the market, but there are a few options - and based on their results, adding a goaltender is a complete necessity. Most recently, goalies from the Blackhawks may be available.

It's clear the Oilers biggest weakness is their goal crease. They don't need to replace Skinner, but just adding another option they could reliably turn to would significantly raise the floor for this team. With consistently average goaltending, the Oilers would be an incredibly strong team.