3 prospects Oilers should consider trading for much-needed goaltender
Looking at which top prospects the Edmonton Oilers could use as potential trade bait, to help solve their goaltending situation.
The Edmonton Oilers may have started to turn their season around recently with three straight games. However, if the last two games provided any indication of their progress so far, then it is clearly evident that goaltending remains an issue for the team.
After putting together a string of victories, goaltender Stuart Skinner faltered once again against a more offensively-minded Tampa Bay Lightning team on Saturday afternoon, as his GAA climbed to 3.39 and his save percentage fell to .873. Playing in five consecutive games, perhaps fatigue was starting to set in for the sophomore goalie.
On Monday night, their temporary backup solution Calvin Pickard saw his first NHL game since 2022. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the season debut he wanted as he would surrender four goals in a 5-3 loss to the Florida Panthers. This practically fell in line with what he has produced for most of his storied professional hockey career, good enough in the AHL, but just not quite there at the NHL level.
With the Oilers sitting second last in the Pacific Division and just four points out of dead last in the league, they need to do something soon to address their biggest weakness. They will either need an adequate backup to work with Skinner so that he could remain effective without burning out, or a solid option that could actually work in tandem with him, similar to the setup the Boston Bruins have with Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman.
With that in mind, which prospects could the Oilers include in a trade package to help the team address their dire need in the net? Here, we take a look at three potential promising players that may need to be sacrificed to fix their current problem immediately.
Raphael Lavoie
Among the Oilers prospects that appear NHL-ready, Raphael Lavoie got his chance earlier this month when the team was encountering some injuries with their depth players. The former second round pick from the 2019 NHL Entry Draft put together a strong season last year with the Bakersfield Condors, with a team-leading 25 goals to go along with 20 assists for 45 total points in 61 games played.
Lavoie carried that strong play into this season with four goals and three assists in just five games to lead the Condors, earning the promotion to the NHL in early November. However, playing mainly on the Oilers’ fourth line and averaging around eight minutes a game, Lavoie failed to provide much impact as he was held scoreless in six games.
The Oilers’ prospect pool isn’t very deep, but Lavoie certainly represents one of the few bright spots that could potentially be a difference maker as he matures his game. However, with the Oilers in a win-now mode, they may not have the patience to wait for his game to come around and could use the 23-year-old as trade bait to obtain a reliable goalie in short order to help the team.
Olivier Rodrigue
Goaltending hasn’t been a strength of the Oilers for quite some time, so when they saw a promising goalie prospect in Olivier Rodrigue coming off a strong season with the QMJHL Drummondville Voltigeurs, they quickly pounced on him with their second round pick in 2018. Since then. It has taken a little while for Rodrigue to find his game, but last season with the Condors, he registered some solid numbers with a 2.77 GAA and a .912 save percentage that ranked him 10th in the AHL.
Rodrigue is definitely the next in line for the Oilers if Pickard continues to falter, as he has been off to a good start again so far in his 2023-24 season with the Condors. He currently sports a 2-1 winning record with a 2.00 GAA and .942 save percentage in his limited action so far.
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However, with Pickard now up with the Oilers while the recently demoted Jack Campbell continues to struggle, it could be Rodrigue’s chance to have a steady run at the net for the Condors to show what he can do. The better that he does, the more likely the Oilers could be to use him as a trade chip to get the goalie that they need for their playoff run this season.
Rodrigue could round into form in a year or two, but the Oilers desperately need the help now. As such, he would certainly be appealing to a young, rebuilding team that would have the time to allow him to grow and develop his game, while giving back a veteran netminder in return.
Xavier Bourgault
Finally, we have perhaps the Oilers’ highest ranked prospect in Xavier Bourgault. The centre was selected in the first round with the 22nd overall pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. The pick appeared to be a solid one as he would follow up his draft year with a strong showing with the Shawinigan Cataractes, putting up 36 goals and 75 points in just 43 games played. In addition he was a force for them in the playoffs, with 12 goals and 22 points in 16 games of action.
Bourgault’s first season with the Condors had more mixed results, as he worked on developing his two-way game even more in preparation for the NHL while managing just 13 goals and 34 points in 62 games played. He started the 2023-24 AHL season strong, but has since tailed off a bit when veteran Sam Gagner was called up to join the Oilers, taking him off of Bourgault’s line with the Condors.
Similar to Lavoie, Bourgault’s game should practically be NHL-ready, but if the Oilers are serious in getting more than just a serviceable goalie to solve their issues in net, they may need to dangle their best prospect to get the job done. However, they better be sure that the deal is worth it, because they can’t afford to miss when giving their best prospect away with their current pool of younng talent already paper thin.
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Nevertheless, if it can finally get the Oilers to the promised land, all may be worth it. (All stats from hockey-reference.com and hockeydb.com)