Potential Solutions to the Oilers Goaltending Issue

With a month-and-a-half of the season gone by, it is very clear that despite what GM Stan Bowman says, the Edmonton Oilers have a goaltending problem. With Stuart Skinner struggling with consistency and Calvin Pickard putting up the worst numbers in the NHL, there are a multitude of potential solutions to the goaltending crisis in Edmonton, through trades, signing and in the AHL.

Connor Ingram?

Could the Oilers goaltending fix already be in the farm system? The Oilers picked up Connor Ingram in a trade with Utah back in October, and there were high hopes from Oilers fans that he would be able to return from his stint in the NHL player assistance program last year to build on an impressive 2023-24 season with Arizona in which he put up a .907 SV% and a 2.91 GAA in 50 games. When he’s at his best, Ingram has proved that he is capable of carrying a starters workload (45+) and put up above league average numbers, but his flaws are similar to many other NHL fringe starters in that he has struggled heavily with consistency throughout his career. Ingram is currently playing for the Bakersfield Condors in the AHL, where he has had a difficult start to the season, with a .860 SV% and a 4.02 GAA, but the hope from the Oilers is that he is simply getting up to speed and finding his game back after missing all of training camp and the end of last season. Ultimately, Ingram is an intriguing option for the Oilers in net, as he is already in the system and therefore wouldn’t cost any assets or cap space, but he is also far from a sure thing even if he is called up to the NHL.

Elvis Merzlikins?

Could the Columbus Blue Jackets potentially provide Edmonton with it’s goaltending savior? Elvis Merzlikins has been a name linked to the Oilers over the last few years, and with his starting goaltender pedigree and relatively affordable asking cost, he seems like a decent fit in Oil Country. This season Merzlikins is rocking a sparkling .908 SV% and a solid 3.14 GAA. These are the kinds of numbers that Edmonton would take in a heartbeat, and if Merzlikins were to come into Edmonton and put up similar stats the Oilers would undoubtedly be in a better spot than right now, but there a few red flags if you look deeper into Merzlikins game and situation. It was reported that Stan Bowman had been in talks already this year with Columbus GM Don Waddell about making a move for Merzlikins, and the ask from the Jackets had reportedly been Stuart Skinner, a first and Ty Emberson. This is a heavy asking price for a goalie whose save percentages the last three year have been .876, .897 and .892, and a trade involving this level of value coming from Edmonton could be a high risk high reward move that could potentially backfire if Merzlikins regresses to these kinds of numbers. All in all, Merzlikins is a potentially costly high risk option for the Oilers to pursue, but he is a more sure thing in net than some of Edmonton’s other options and he has proven to be a starting goalie for long stretches in the NHL.

Juuse Saros?

If the Oilers want to go out and end their goaltending woes once and for all, then they can’t do much better than Juuse Saros. The Nashville Predators starter has been one of the best goalies in the league over the last half-decade, highlighted by top-5 finishes in Vezina trophy voting in 2021-22, 22-23 and 23-24. Saros’ career save percentage of .913 is elite, and save for a difficult 2024-25 season with a dreadful Nashville team Saros has been above .905 in every full season he has played. With Nashville struggling again this year and Saros not really fitting in their future plans if they were to commit to a rebuild, he is an intriguing option at this years trade deadline. The only downside to acquiring Saros is that he would have an astronomical asking price from the Predators, but with the elite goaltending he has shown his entire career he is well worth it in my opinion.