During the 2021 NHL Draft, the Edmonton Oilers had the chance to boost their prospect pipeline with an elite goaltending prospect. Jesper Wallstedt was sitting right there waiting to be drafted. Unfortunately, Oilers General Manager Ken Holland picked up the phone and made a trade. This sent the draft pick to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for a couple of other draft picks.

As of right now, this has been one of the worst trades in recent Oiler history. Wallstedt is having a phenomenal season, while both prospects drafted by the Oilers are yet to solidify a full-time NHL role.

Looking at the trade

Even at the time, this trade made no sense for the Oilers. The details of the trade were Edmonton’s 20th overall pick to Minnesota for the Wild’s 22nd overall pick and a 2021 third-rounder. Whether or not the Oilers really wanted Wallstedt remains unknown, but they sure could have used him. The Wild traded up to select the top goalie prospect, while the Oilers selected Xavier Bourgault with their new pick. Later on in the draft, Edmonton selected Luca Muenzenberger with the third-rounder.

As of right now, Bourgault is not even with the Oilers organization anymore. He was traded alongside Jake Chiasson to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Roby Jarventie and a fourth-round pick (David Lewandowski). This was basically a minor prospect exchange between the two teams that proves how poorly Bourgault has developed. Another terrible aspect of this selection was who went afterward. The Dallas Stars selected Wyatt Johnston at 23rd overall. This was a huge blow for the Oilers as Johnston has become a top scorer from that draft class.

As for Wallstedt himself, many NHL fans thought the goalie might not live up to the high expectations. The previous seasons in the AHL/NHL have not been very good for him. Last season, Wallstedt posted sub 0.880 save percentages in both the NHL and AHL. Fortunately, the young goalie has completely turned things around this season, posting an early 6–0–2 record with a 0.935 save percentage and three shutouts. This trade has simply turned into an absolute nightmare for Oilers fans.

The goalie situation is a mess

All hockey fans know that this trade could have turned the Oilers organization around. At the moment, they are rolling with a Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard duo, which is way too unreliable. The fact that the two goalies on the roster are not great is not even the biggest concern. The question is, who is the goalie of the future in Edmonton? Wallstedt would have fit that role perfectly.

After this season, the Oilers’ goaltending is completely up in the air. Both goalies of Skinner and Pickard, will be UFAs once this season concludes. If management refuses to re-sign either of them, the Oilers could have a new tandem soon. They have brought in Connor Ingram, but the chances of him becoming the Oilers’ new starter are unlikely. Lots of questions are in the air with this tandem, as the current roster needs a better goalie to win a Stanley Cup.

Looking at the upcoming UFA market, the best options available in the 2026 free agency would be Sergei Bobrovsky and Frederik Andersen. Both of these goalies were great in their prime, but they are over 37-years-old now, which does not help the Oilers in a win-now situation. Also, seeing Bobrovsky in an Oilers jersey would be wrong in so many ways.

A fun fact is that the Oilers are still paying Jack Campbell for the next five years. That is how bad it is. This team desperately needs to figure out the goalie situation before it is too late. Who will be the goalie of the future in Oil Country?

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Wallstedt would have solidified the core

Looking at the current core of the Oilers, drafting and signing Wallstedt long-term would have solidified the core in Edmonton. As of right now, Connor McDavid is signed for the next three seasons, Evan Bouchard is signed for the next four, and Leon Draisaitl is signed for the next eight. Having Wallstedt on the roster and signing him long-term could have locked in a dynasty opportunity for this core.

Wallstedt is a bit younger than the core in Edmonton. He is 23-years-old and is not even on a long-term contract yet. Having him enter the NHL at this age and be on a cheap deal would have been a huge bonus for the Oilers based on their cap situation. This team has basically no cap space, so they need all of the cheap contracts that they can get.

Unfortunately, there is nothing this franchise can do but look back on this trade and learn from it. An NHL team needs to take the opportunity to draft, sign, or trade for a great player when they get the chance. This happens to be one of the many times that a team has missed a golden opportunity to improve their team. After a significant loss against the Dallas Stars the other night, the same issues are revealing themselves. The goaltending debacle will continue in Edmonton until they can find a legitimate number one guy.

Up Next: Possible Edmonton Oilers call-ups to solve their secondary scoring issues

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