The Edmonton Oilers have a 8-1-0 record in the last nine games and despite having their winning streak snapped at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning on Dec. 14, they’re still one of the hottest teams in the NHL.
Yet, the focus after the 7-4 loss to the Lightning, despite the Oilers outshooting their opponents 57-24, was not on the exceptional performance of Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, rather, it was more about the Oilers’ Stuart Skinner’s inability to steal them the win in net after allowing three third period goals, even after putting up a remarkable .934 save percentage (SV%) in his previous seven starts.
Related: Oilers News & Rumours: McDavid, Kane, Brown, and the Streak
As a result, the trade chatter that the Oilers need to find another goalie to be the 1B to Skinner started to gain momentum again, which is justifiable. To add to that, it’s noted that Edmonton had scouts at various games around the NHL within the last month and a half, and the most recent news stated that they were present at the game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Columbus Blue Jackets on Dec. 14, with the likely player they’re keeping a close eye on being goaltender Elvis Merzlikins.
As it stands, the Oilers’ top priority is finding a dependable backup for Skinner, and general manager (GM) Ken Holland has recently suggested a potential time frame when a move might be made.
Exploring Holland’s Timeframe for Potential Trade for Oilers
Holland was recently on the “Bob McCown” Podcast which aired on Dec. 15 and the Oilers’ boss was asked if he needed to make trades to get to the top of the NHL, or does their recent eight-game winning streak suggest otherwise and his reply suggested a potential plan for when he anticipates making a trade:
“Number one, would you like to do things to make your team better? Absolutely. Now, you have to factor in that you have to find a trading partner. Trading partners you usually find in February, you know, the two to four weeks prior to the trade deadline. Historically, how many trades are there in November and December and January? There’s some, but there’s not a lot. So, the players that you’ve got, you’ve got to find a way to maximize your players, and maximize and get the most out of your team, and you’ve got to find ways to win games.
You play your way into being a buyer, and then as we get closer, you know, I’ve talked to a lot of managers in the last three weeks, the reality is, as we look around, there’s not many trades in the National Hockey League. So, we’ve got to find ways to win games with the players that we’ve got and as we push our way to the trade deadline, start working the phones harder and see if we can find a trading partner and then you have to decide if you’re a buyer or if you’re a seller.”
-Ken Holland
Gathering insights from what Holland mentioned, it’s likely that he’s looking to make moves, or at least be more aggressive, toward the trade deadline, which is on March 8, 2024, much like the blockbuster deal last season that sent Tyson Barrie and parts to the Nashville Predators in exchange for Mattias Ekholm.
Other NHL Teams Have Not Taken Oilers’ Passive Approach to Trades
Yet, one more interesting point Holland mentioned was that there are historically not many trades made in November and December. However, this might stem solely from his personal experience, as there have been several deals made this season, which could end up being a drawback.
Taking a look around the NHL, there have been nine trades so far in November and December of this season, one of which included a massive deal where the Vancouver Canucks improved their blue line by acquiring Nikita Zadorov from the Calgary Flames and most recently the Seattle Kraken recently acquired Tomas Tatar from the Colorado Avalanche on Dec. 15 in hopes of him finding his former top six form.
Latest News & Highlights
In other words, other GMs around the NHL have recognized their team needs and acted early to meet them, versus the sit-around-and-wait approach and avoided the gamble of waiting for prices to go up later in the season or the player they are eyeing going to a different team.
For the Oilers, there’s no denying Skinner is their undisputed starting goaltender and no matter how much Oilers’ fans hope for it, the prospect of the team acquiring a netminder superior to him appears unlikely. That said, at this point in the season, it’s apparent where the Oilers’ primary need lies and that’s finding the 1B goaltender to complement Skinner.
In saying that, Holland’s more passive approach to making a deal is likely because he wants to gauge if Calvin Pickard can string together consistently good games following his win over the New Jersey Devils on Dec. 10 or if Jack Campbell can regain his form in the American Hockey League (AHL).
The concern is that waiting too long could lead to pricing himself out of the goaltender market or settling for a less skilled goaltender than was initially desired.
Should Holland be more aggressive in making a trade? Have your say in the comments below.