Edmonton Oilers Scouting the Columbus Blue Jackets' Goalies?

The Edmonton Oilers appear to be doing their due diligence, as they're rumored to be searching for netminding support. Will they acquire someone from Columbus?

On this day in 1982, 1993 and 2002, Wayne Gretzky made the news for setting a record, getting honored and more.

The Edmonton Oilers have shopped around for a possible goaltending upgrade since they sent starter Jack Campbell to their AHL affiliate in Bakersfield in November. It's made them a frequent topic of media trade chatter.

In recent weeks, the Oilers were believed to be interested in Montreal Canadiens goalies Jake Allen and Sam Montembeault and free-agent netminder Jaroslav Halak. They were also linked to the St. Louis Blues' Jordan Binnington, Nashville Predators goalies Juuse Saros and Yaroslav Askarov and Boston Bruins starter Linus Ullmark, though most of that speculation seemed more like wishful thinking. The Oilers only have $150,000 in current cap space after all, according to PuckPedia.

Most of that conjecture seemed to fade approaching the end of November. Some pundits suggested the Oilers were more likely to recall Campbell if he played well in Bakersfield. However, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman observed that three Oilers executives/scouts were spotted in Columbus twice this week.

Friedman indicated they watched the Blue Jackets upset the Boston Bruins on Monday with Spencer Martin in goal. They were also there for Wednesday's game against the Montreal Canadiens with Elvis Merzlikins between the pipes. While Merzlikins has a $5.4-million cap hit through 2027 and a 10-team no-trade clause, Martin has a $762,500 cap hit in the final season of his contract.

According to Friedman, sidelined Jackets netminder Daniil Tarasov is close to returning to action. He's no longer waiver-exempt, which could leave them carrying three goaltenders.

The Jackets wouldn't be the only club to do so this season. The Canadiens carry newly extended Montembeault, Allen and Cayden Primeau, while the Detroit Red Wings have Ville Husso, James Reimer and Alex Lyon sharing their crease.

The Oilers could be keeping their options open if Campbell struggles with their farm club or doesn't regain his form if they recall him. So far, he's played six games for Bakersfield and has a 2-4-0 record with a 3.15 goals-against average and .894 save percentage. Still, the fact their scouts stuck around for back-to-back games in Columbus suggests more than a passing interest in one of the Jackets goaltenders.