Friday’s Oilers trade news could finally unwind a stagnant market. Reports broke that the Edmonton Oilers have acquired goaltender Tristan Jarry from the Pittsburgh Penguins. The details of the deal continue to trickle out.
According to insider Elliotte Friedman, the Oilers trade news involves Stuart Skinner, Brett Kulak, and a 2029 second-round pick heading to Pittsburgh.
That’s a hefty price to pay for Jarry. However, the Oilers needed to clear cap space to make the math work. Hence, Kulak is a cap casualty.
This Oilers trade news contradicts the narrative somewhat, leading up to this point. The talk had been that Edmonton wanted a tandem of Jarry and Skinner. However, it seems the numbers just didn’t add up.
In a separate trade, the Oilers acquired defenseman Spencer Stastney for a 2027 third-round selection. Likely, Stastney will take over for Kulak on Edmonton’s depth chart.
This intriguing Oilers trade news puts an end to a long saga regarding the team’s goaltending situation. It was certainly surprising to see Skinner on the move. The talk had focused on Calvin Pickard heading out the door.
Now, it seems the Oilers will be rolling with Jarry and Pickard as their tandem for the remainder of the season. It’s worth pointing out that Jarry comes with term. Jarry has two more years on his contract at a cap hit of $5.375 million.
Skinner, meanwhile, will be a UFA at the end of this season. Edmonton also acquired forward Samuel Poulin from Pittsburgh in the deal. Poulin is a former first-round pick from 2019. In 22 AHL games this season, the 24-year-old has nine goals and 20 points. He’s played all of 15 NHL games, notching two assists.
Oilers Trade News Shocks NHL World
Earlier this week, news had leaked that the Oilers and Penguins had a deal in place for Jarry. However, the deal fell through at the last minute since Pittsburgh was unwilling to retain any money on Jarry.
That was a no-go for Edmonton as the team didn’t have the cap space to make the deal work. Well, today’s Oilers trade news confirms that narrative. The Penguins did not retain any money on Jarry, leaving the Oilers to foot the entire cap hit.
Trading Skinner offset about half of Jarry’s cap hit. Skinner has a $2.6 million cap hit. The casualty, however, was Kulak. His $2.7 million cap hit is what ultimately helped the Oilers make Jarry’s contract work.
Jarry Now Oilers’ Starting Goalie
Tristan Jarry will now be thrust into a full-time starting role with the Oilers. The 30-year-old has had a good season. In 14 games, he posted a 2.66 GAA and .909 SV%. The numbers are better than Skinner’s, though not necessarily mind-shocking.
Perhaps the biggest loss will be Brett Kulak. The 31-year-old has been one of the steadiest blueliners on the team. He’s set to be a UFA at the end of the season. As such, he was likely one of the candidates to move.
Kulak is an unfortunate member of today’s Oilers trade news. He’s played all 82 games in his three full seasons in Edmonton.
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