The Edmonton Oilers are out of the Carter Hart Sweepstakes

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Joshua Deeds
June 8, 2023 (0:48)

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It appears that Carter Hart won't have the opportunity to play for his hometown team, the Edmonton Oilers. Despite being one of the top available goalies in the market, the Oilers have made the decision to stick with their current netminders, which NHL Insider Frank Seravalli has confirmed.

This decision could be seen as a display of overconfidence, especially if one of their current goalies has not performed well.

Why? Ken Holland is still confident with Jack Campbell...

Plenty of false reports surfacing on here throughout the past two days:

Ken Holland made it VERY clear that he is excited for Jack Campbell to bounce back in «year 2» of his contract, and believes you cannot judge a signing after its first season.

The Oilers are NOT in the goaltending market.

«I don't have any indication or sense that the #Oilers are in the goalie market at all. I think they're contractually stuck to the pieces that they have.»

@frank_seravalli
when asked about Carter Hart by
@tyleryaremchuk
on ON Everyday

However, during an interview on Everyday Oilers, Tyler Yaremchuk asked Seravalli about his thoughts on the team's market. General Manager Ken Holland has decided to stick with Jack Campbell and Stuart Skinner.

Campbell ended the regular season with a 3.41 GAA and .888 sv%, while Skinner secured the starting goalie job during the playoffs with a 3.68 GAA and .883 sv%.

It is arguable that the Oilers' back end requires work. Nevertheless, I disagree with the notion that the team is not in the market for a goalie.

As long as Carter Hart is available, and the team requires a reliable starter, there is an opportunity for the Oilers to acquire him.

Skinner is still adapting to the big league, and the team needs to have a contingency plan in case of injuries or inconsistent performances.