For a second straight season, the Florida Panthers have defeated the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup Final and hoisted the greatest trophy in sports.

Much of the ensuing discussion has centered on diagnosing the pitfalls of the Oilers' roster construction, specifically in goal.

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After not committing to either Stuart Skinner or Calvin Pickard as a go-to starter through the first two rounds of their second straight run to the Cup Final, Skinner firmly grabbed hold of the Edmonton crease for the Western Conference Final against the Dallas Stars, starting and finishing all six games.

The Stanley Cup Final was a different story, as Skinner started the first four games but was pulled in games three and four. The Oilers turned to Pickard for game five and went back to Skinner for game six.

Goaltending may not have been the sole reason the Oilers lost the 2025 Stanley Cup Final, but another save or two at critical points of individual games could have shifted the tide and swung momentum for the remainder of the series.

In Skinner’s five appearances in the 2025 Final, he posted an .861 SV% and saved -3.32 goals above expected. In Pickard’s three appearances, he posted an .878 SV% and saved -0.43 goals above expected.

Going back to the 2025 NHL trade deadline, the Oilers were speculated to be in the market for an upgrade in goal, and Anaheim Ducks goaltender John Gibson’s name was circulated as a potential target. SportsNet’s Elliotte Friedman reported at the time that Gibson’s preferences were the Oilers or the Carolina Hurricanes.

Friedman returned to that discussion point on Wednesday’s edition of his “32 Thoughts” podcast.

“Goal is going to be a big one. You can’t keep flip-flopping like that. You need consistency in that, and it’ll be interesting to see how the owners decide,” Friedman said when looking ahead to the Oilers’ offseason. “Is it going to be Skinner-plus, or is it going to be a change, entirely? There’s a lot of debate about how much Edmonton looked at Gibson. And I think between the price and his injury history, they said this isn’t worth pursuing. But, I also had heard Gibson wasn’t crazy about the idea of sharing the job with Skinner.”

Jeff Marek reiterated that the Ducks were asking teams to pay a high price at the deadline for Gibson on Wednesday’s edition of his “The Sheet” podcast.

“I know the prices were high the last couple of years for goaltenders. I believe that the ask from Anaheim for John Gibson was two firsts,” Marek reported. “Now, I also heard that softened a little bit, but the going rate to bring in a goaltender was high, the prices have always been high on goalies, specifically around deadline time.”

The Hurricanes, as the other team that reportedly has had on-and-off interest in Gibson, and the other team that Gibson preferred as a destination, were also dispatched by the Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final in five games.

Like with Edmonton, Carolina could have benefited from a better showing in net from their tandem of Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov. In four appearances in the Eastern Conference Final, Andersen posted an .838 SV% and saved -5.24 goals above expected. Kochetkov posted a .788 SV% and saved -2.95 goals above expected.

Again, like with Edmonton, goaltending wasn’t the lone reason the Hurricanes were ousted, but a better performance in the crease would have afforded them a better chance.

At the deadline, Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek set the price high for John Gibson, who in his age-31 season posted his best numbers (.911 SV% and 9.29 goals saved above expected) since 2018-19 despite battling several injuries.

Gibson has started and appeared in 26 playoff games in his career and posted a .912 SV% and saved 10.01 goals above expected.

It’s unclear if Edmonton or Carolina would have fared better with Gibson in net during their 2025 Stanley Cup Playoff runs, but they’d likely feel more confident about their goaltending situations moving forward.

Witnessing the importance of goaltenders in the playoffs, when coming up with a big save or letting in a soft goal could be the difference between winning and losing a series, Verbeek’s asking price for Gibson may have been justified in real time.

The other aspect of the equation is that the Ducks aren’t in a position where they need to trade Gibson. There have been reports over the past several years of him maybe wanting a change of scenery, but the Ducks have more than ample salary cap space, and even though Lukas Dostal has emerged as the future of the crease in Anaheim, maintaining Gibson isn’t a poor option.

The NHL is shifting more toward tandems in net throughout the regular season. The days of goaltenders starting 60-plus games per season are dwindling, and the Ducks had one of the best tandems in the league last season, the most substantial reason for their 21-point jump in the standings from the season prior.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see the price for Gibson remain high this offseason, and it could even increase. Gibson has two years remaining on his current contract that carries an AAV of $6.4 million and a 10-team no-trade clause.

The market for goaltenders weighs heavily toward the demand vs. the supply this offseason. It could present itself as an opportunity for the Ducks to improve their depth chart for the present and future, should a team meet Verbeek at his asking price. But if not, the Ducks are in a good position regardless.

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Photo Credit: Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images