5 Goalie Targets to Push Oilers Into Playoffs

There are a few goalies that the Edmonton Oilers could trade for to give the team a goalie to get into the playoff picture.

The Edmonton Oilers are in tough as far as goaltending help goes. Stuart Skinner has had an up and down season, but largely is more up than down right now.

The answer lies (more than likely) with another team. Goalies can take a while to acclimate to a new team. That's why it's imperative that the Oilers make this deal sooner than later. With the holiday roster freeze in effect now, this trade would need to wait until after Christmas.

The Oilers need a goalie to push Skinner. Someone who can work in tandem with him either as a solid backup or a 1B to Skinner's 1A. We also want to focus on goaltenders with lower salary and Goals Saved Above Expected.

Goals saved above expected tells us how many goals this goalie is stopping compared to the average NHL goalie. If it's a positive number, they are better and if it's negative than they are less than average.

I'm only looking at if these goalies would be a fit instead of exclusively realistic trade options. With that in mind, let's look at some goalies.

Goals Saved Above Expected: 11.5

This year Jonathan Quick looks like he's turned back time, and the stats back this up. He's 9-0-1 with a 2.09 goals against average (GAA) and a .927 save percentage (SV%). He's fourth among NHL goalies in goals saved above expected with 11.5 - the only goalies above him are Adin Hill, Jeremy Swayman and Thatcher Demko.

Goals Saved Above Expected: 8.5

File another one under "highly unlikely" but the Pittsburgh Penguins starter Tristan Jarry is worth putting in an offer for. The Penguins haven't been helping out their goalies much and as a result they find themselves out of a playoff spot. In 22 games Jarry is sporting a 2.61 GAA and a .913 SV%. He's also saved 8.5 goals above expected, so he's doing well despite the lack of support from his teammates.

Goals Saved Above Expected: 11

Instrumental to the early success of the Arizona Coyotes has been the play of Connor Ingram. He presently has a 2.55 GAA and a .919 SV% across 20 games. He's cooled off over the last three games, which hopefully would bring down his acquisition cost.

Goals Saved Above Expected: 3.3

John Gibson has seemingly been in trade rumors and discussions for many years now. He has respectable numbers in the 21 games he's played this year - a 2.85 GAA to go along with a .906 SV%. He's saving just over what's expected, which is all the Oilers would need from him.

Goals Saved Above Expected: 4.3

The Oilers have been rumored to be interested in Jacob Markstrom before, so what's to stop them from pursuing him now? After a poor year in 2022-23, he has positively regressed this season. Posting a 2.83 GAA and a .901 SV% is fairly pedestrian, but it's a step in the right direction.

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