The Edmonton Oilers have lost back-to-back Stanley Cups to the Florida Panthers and will look to make some major changes this offseason.
One area of need for the Oilers is goaltending, and Heavy.com has a trade pitch that helps fix Edmonton’s goalie issue.
Oilers acquire:
- John Gibson ($1.4 million retained)
Ducks acquire:
- Matthew Savoie
- Stuart Skinner
- 2026 second-round pick
- 2026 fifth-round pick
The proposed deal would be a blockbuster as Edmonton would acquire a star goalie while trading a top prospect, two draft picks, and a goalie.
The Oilers would acquire Gibson, who has two years left on his eight-year, $51.2 million deal. Anaheim retaining $1.4 million would make him earn just $5 million per season in those two years, which is a good salary for him. Gibson is a legit starting goalie in the NHL and would immediately bolster the position. Gibson went 11-11-2 with a 2.77 GAA and a .912 SV%.
In return, Edmonton would trade two 2026 draft picks as well as Savoie, who is their top prospect. The Oilers acquired Savoie from the Buffalo Sabres last offseason, as he was drafted ninth overall in 2022 but spent most of last season in the AHL. He would fit in nicely with Anaheim’s young core and would be the key part of the trade.
The Ducks would also acquire Skinner, who can be Anaheim’s backup to Lukas Dostal. Edmonton would pick Pickard over Skinner to be the backup to Gibson. Skinner has one year left on his three-year, $7.8 million deal. He went 26-18-4 with a 2.81 GAA and a .896 SV%.
Oilers Need to Address Their Goaltending
Edmonton was blown out in Games 5 and 6 to lose the Stanley Cup for the second-straight year to the Panthers.
Throughout the playoffs, Edmonton struggled in net as Skinner and Picard both started games. In the Cup Final, Skinner and Pickard both started games, and Oilers’ captain Connor McDavid said they couldn’t stop Florida’s offense.
“We kept on saying we want to try and win a 2-1 game, and we never found a way to do that, obviously,” McDavid said. “They have great players. How many guys had 20-plus points in the postseason (six)? They’re as deep as it comes.”
After the loss, McDavid says he hopes the Oilers can reach the Cup Final again.
“I think so,” McDavid said. “We still have a lot of confidence and belief. I don’t think people thought we were going to make it this far. We believe and we came up just short again.”
Ducks Could Shop Gibson
Anaheim has Dostal as their starting goalie, which could make Gibson expendable.
Gibson’s name has come up in trade talks for years, but he has never been traded. However, this summer could be when he is moved, as NHL insider Frank Seravalli has him on his trade bait board.
“Is this the year? This is the fourth offseason Gibson has been readily available on the trade block, but everything seems to be lining up for both Gibson and the Ducks this time,” Seravalli wrote. “There are only two years left on his deal. He is coming off a strong season, even if he ceded the starter’s job to Lukas Dostal. And the goaltending market is very thin this summer. Jake Allen is the big name free agent. Gibson should still have plenty left in the tank at age 31.”
Gibson is a three-time NHL All-Star.
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This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
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