Oilers Need to Trade For Recently Waived Goalie
The Carolina Hurricanes recently waived a veteran goaltender.
The future of the Edmonton Oilers net is bright. With the solid recent play of Stuart Skinner in addition to Olivier Rodrigue's continued improvement in the AHL, the Oilers are set in net for years to come.
The one issue for the Oilers right now is that Jack Campbell has quite surprisingly fallen way below expectations this season. To the point of being sent down to the AHL to work on his game.
It was rumored that the Oilers would recall Campbell not that far from sending him down. He has been in the AHL for over a month, far exceeding the original plan for him.
In light of this, the Oilers should look elsewhere to remedy their goaltending. On Saturday afternoon, it appears an opportunity may have presented itself on a silver platter.
In a shocking move the Carolina Hurricanes have placed Antti Raanta on waivers today. Raanta has been a steady presence in net for the Hurricanes for a few years now.
The 34-year old netminder carries a $1.5-million cap hit for the rest of the 2023-24 season. The salary is definitely appealing, as Raanta makes less than Campbell & Skinner.
Truth be told, Raanta has struggled mightily this season. With a 6-5-1 record, a 3.61 goals against average (GAA), and a .854 save percentage (SV%) it's been a down year for the netminder.
For the two years previous his GAA has been 2.45 & 2.23. His SV% has also been great, sporting a .912 SV% and a .910 SV% over the same two years.
Would the Hurricanes trade Raanta for Campbell? Stranger things have happened. The Hurricanes wouldn't need to waive Campbell, and if they wanted to they could allow Campbell to continue playing for the Bakersfield Condors.
To take on the extra salary the Oilers would probably need to add a draft pick to make the trade even for both sides. A third or second round pick might level the deal.
We wait and see what will happen to Raanta over the next 24 hours.
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