NHL CONFIRMS! RUMORS INVOLVING THE OILERS’ TWO GOALKEEPERS! EDMONTON OILERS NEWS

NHL CONFIRMS! RUMORS INVOLVING THE OILERS’ TWO GOALKEEPERS! EDMONTON OILERS NEWS

Is it time to admit the Oilers goalie gamble has failed? Three trade targets that could save their season. How long do you keep faith in a goalending tandem that’s actively costing you points before admitting you made a catastrophic miscalculation? For the Edmonton Oilers, that uncomfortable reckoning may be arriving faster than anyone in the organization wants to acknowledge. and former NHL goalender Jamie McClennon just said the quiet part out loud. This team needs a change in net and they need it now. Mlennon appearing on the Barn Burner podcast didn’t mince words about Edmonton’s situation. While he maintains optimism that the Oilers will follow their traditional pattern of post Christmas resurgence and ultimately make the playoffs, he identified the elephant stomping around Rogers place that management seems determined to ignore. the goalending simply isn’t good enough. And unlike the team’s offensive struggles or defensive breakdowns, issues that can theoretically be fixed through effort and system adjustments, goalending problems require a different solution entirely. The former net minder floated three names that represent either lateral moves or genuine upgrades over the current Steuart Skinner Calvin Picker tandem. Jordan Bennington of the St. Lewis Blues, Jo SOS of the Nashville Predators, and Elvis Mlickens of the Columbus Blue Jackets. Each presents unique opportunities and challenges, but all three share one critical characteristic. They represent acknowledgement that what Edmonton has right now isn’t working. Let’s be brutally honest about where the Oilers find themselves. They’re 995 through 23 games, treading water in a Pacific division they were supposed to dominate. They’ve squandered leads in seven consecutive games where they held advantages in the second or third periods. Their save percentage ranks among the league’s bottom third. And most damningly, neither Skinner nor Pickard has demonstrated the consistency required to carry a championship contending team through the grueling stretch run and into the playoffs. The Bennington option championship pedigree meets competitive fire Jordan Bennington represents perhaps the most intriguing option on Mlennon’s list and not just because of his Stanley Cup ring from 2019. Mlennon labeled him the ultimate competitor, a description that carries significant weight coming from someone who spent years in NHL Crease himself. Bennington possesses that rare combination of technical skill and psychological warfare that can elevate a team’s entire defensive structure. The St. Louis Blues are currently mired in mediocrity, sitting well outside playoff contention, and facing uncomfortable questions about their competitive timeline. At 31 years old with three seasons remaining on a contract that carries a $6 million cap hit, Bennington represents a tradable asset for a Blues organization that may be pivoting toward a rebuild. His contract is manageable, especially compared to some of the other options available, and his playoff experience is undeniable. But here’s what makes Bennington genuinely appealing for Edmonton. He thrives on pressure and confrontation. This is a goalender who has never backed down from anyone, who plays his best hockey when the stakes are highest, who would rather fight an opponent than surrender a soft goal. The Oilers desperately need that edge, that refusal to accept defeat that has been sorely lacking from their current net minding situation. The challenge with acquiring Bennington lies in what Edmonton would need to surrender. The Blues aren’t going to simply give away a proven playoff goalender for spare parts and late round picks. Any deal would likely require a combination of roster players, prospects, and draft capital that would test general manager Ken Holland’s willingness to mortgage the future for immediate help. And there’s the question of whether Bennington’s sometimes volatile temperament would mesh with Edmonton’s locker room culture or become another distraction. Still, if you’re evaluating pure upgrade potential, Bennington checks almost every box. He’s proven he can win when it matters most. He’s got the contract termed to provide stability beyond this season, and he’s got the competitive fire that this Oilers team desperately needs someone to bring every single night. The SAOS scenario. Elite talent trapped on a sinking ship. Just SOAS represents the most talented goalender on Mlennon’s list. And it’s not particularly close. Mlennon’s description, elite on a junk team, perfectly captures both Saras’s individual brilliance and the impossible situation he’s facing in Nashville. The Predators are a disaster this season. sitting in the Western Conference basement with a roster that looks nothing like the playoff contender they were supposed to be after their aggressive offseason spending. Saras’s numbers have suffered accordingly. When you’re facing 40 shots a night behind a defense that can’t clear the crease and an offense that can’t score, even the best goalenders in the world will see their statistics decline. But anyone who has watched Saras play understands that his struggles have far more to do with the chaos in front of him than any decline in his abilities. Put him behind Edmonton’s defense, which for all its flaws is significantly better than Asheville’s, and you’re likely looking at a goalender who immediately becomes a top 10 option leaguewide. The problem with Saras isn’t his talent, it’s his contract. He signed an 8-year extension last summer worth $7.74 million annually. a deal that runs through 2033. That’s a massive commitment both in terms of cap space and term. If SAOS returns to his elite form in Edmonton, that contract becomes a bargain. But if his numbers don’t bounce back or if he suffers injuries as he ages, the Oilers could find themselves anchored to an immovable contract that hamstrings their flexibility for the better part of a decade. There’s also the question of whether Nashville would even consider moving Saras. Despite their current struggles, the Predators invested heavily in building a contender and trading away their franchise goalender would represent complete capitulation on that plan. General manager Barry Trotz would need to be convinced that the return package is substantial enough to accelerate a rebuild. And that’s a steep ask for a goalender of Saras’s caliber and age. He’s only 29. But if, and it’s a significant if, Edmonton could somehow pry SOS away from Nashville, they would instantly solve their goalending concerns for the foreseeable future. This is a legitimate number one goalender in his prime. Someone capable of stealing games and carrying a team through playoff runs. The cost would be astronomical, both in trade assets and long-term cap implications. But the reward could be a Stanley Cup. The Mlakans mystery. High-risk lateral move with intriguing upside. Elvis Mlickens represents the wildcard option. What Mlennon termed a lateral move with a strange goalender who nonetheless possesses genuine NHL ability. The Latvian net minder has shown flashes of brilliance during his time in Columbus, including a stretch during the 2019 to 20 season where he looked like a potential star. But consistency has eluded him and the emergence of Jet Greavves has pushed Mlakkins toward the exit in Columbus. At 30 years old with two seasons remaining on a contract that carries a $5.4 million cap hit, Mlakans represents the most financially palatable option on this list. He’s also likely the easiest to acquire from a trade asset perspective. Columbus is clearly ready to move on and team shopping goalenders rarely command premium returns unless they’re elite talents. The appeal of Mlakans lies in the change of scenery factor. Sometimes goalenders simply need a fresh start, a new organization and defensive structure that better suits their style. Mickens has the physical tools. He’s athletic, technically sound, and capable of making spectacular saves. What he’s lacked in Columbus is consistency and confidence, two things that can theoretically be rebuilt in the right environment. But calling this a lateral move might actually be generous. Mickens’s numbers this season are barely better than Skinner. And his track record of inconsistency raises legitimate questions about whether he’s actually an upgrade or just a different version of the same problem. There’s a real risk that Edmonton trades assets for a goalender who provides no meaningful improvement, leaving them in the same precarious position while having depleted their organizational depth. The argument for Mlakans essentially boils down to he can’t be worse than what they have and maybe, just maybe, a change of scenery unlocks the potential he showed earlier in his career. That’s not exactly a ringing endorsement, but for a team as desperate as Edmonton, it might be enough to justify taking the gamble. The uncomfortable truth. Standing Pat isn’t an option. Here’s what makes McClennon’s analysis so compelling. He’s not panicking about the Oilers overall situation, but he’s identifying goalending as the specific area where action is required. This isn’t about blowing up the roster or admitting the season is lost. It’s about recognizing that championship teams need championship goalending and Edmonton doesn’t have it right now. Stuart Skinner has shown improvement from his early season struggles, but better than terrible isn’t the standard for a team with Stanley Cup aspirations. He’s a perfectly adequate NHL backup who has been thrust into a starting role he may not be equipped to handle over an 82 game season and playoff run. Calvin Pickard, meanwhile, has regressed from last season’s solid performance and looks like exactly what he is. A career backup who occasionally delivers strong performances, but lacks the consistency to be relied upon. The Oilers are currently asking these two goalenders to be something they’re not. And the results speak for themselves. When you’re squandering leads in seven consecutive games, when you’re sitting at 050 through nearly a quarter of the season, when you’re watching other Pacific Division teams pull away in the standings, you can’t simply hope things improve on their own. Mlennon’s suggestions, Bennington, SOS, Mlakans represent different philosophies and risk profiles, but they all acknowledge the same fundamental reality. Change is necessary. Whether that change comes in the form of a proven playoff performer like Bennington, an elite talent like Saras or a reclamation project like Mlakans, the status quo is unsustainable. The question isn’t whether the Oilers need make a move. It’s whether they have the courage to admit their current approach isn’t working and the willingness to pay the price required to fix it. Every day they wait is another day of watching their playoff hope slip further away. Another game where inadequate goalending costs them points they can afford to lose. General manager Ken Holland built this roster believing Skinner and Pickard could handle the load. That belief is being tested nightly and so far it’s failing the test. The trade deadline is still months away but championship windows don’t stay open forever and the Oilers are wasting precious time from theirs by refusing to address their most glaring weakness. Do you think the Oilers need to make a goalie trade or can Skinner and Picker turn things around? Which of these three options would you prefer to see in Edmonton? Drop your thoughts in the comments and smash that like button if you want more honest analysis about what this team needs to do to save their season.

NHL CONFIRMS! RUMORS INVOLVING THE OILERS’ TWO GOALKEEPERS! EDMONTON OILERS NEWS

SEE THE DETAILS IN TODAY’S VIDEO!

now In this video: Has the Oilers’ goaltending gamble finally collapsed? We analyze the 3 urgent trade targets revealed by insiders—including a Stanley Cup champion—that could save Connor McDavid’s season. Discover the brutal reality facing Ken Holland before it’s too late.

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