The Edmonton Oilers goaltending has been incredibly inconsistent this season but with the right moves, that could change.
According to multiple NHL insiders including Elliotte Friedman, an elite NHL goalie could be availabe from the Minnesota Wild, Jesper Wallstedt. Ironically, the Oilers had the chance to draft him at the 2021 NHL Draft but chose to select Xavier Bourgault instead.
That was under the previous regime but now, with Wallstedt available on the trade market, current Oilers general manager Stan Bowman has the chance to make things right.
Wallstedt could be the answer in goal
The Connor McDavid era is at risk of being defined by the team failing to capitalize on their best seasons because of their netminders. Not to put two straight Stanley Cup Finals defeats solely at the feet of Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard but there is a reason that the team had to shuffle between the two on their cup run.
Even now, the Oilers have dealt Skinner to the Penguins for Tristan Jarry and have had to call-up insurance marker Connor Ingram to stabilize the ship. Currently, the team is rolling three goalies but will need to make changes soon.
Wallstedt may be young at only 23 years old but he has shown the ability to play at an elite level every step of the way throughout his hockey career. This season with the Wild especially, he has been stellar posting a 12-5-4 record with a 2.70 goals against average and .914 save percentage with four shutouts.
Looking at a previous example of a highly touted goaltender that was traded; Yaroslav Askarov from the Nashville Predators to the San Jose Sharks. He was packaged along with a third round pick to the Sharks for a first round pick, goaltender Magnus Chrona and prospect David Edstrom.
The Oilers could put together a similar package but it just depends on what the Wild are wanting in return. It is hard to gauge exactly what the package could consist of but it has been reported that the Wild are interested in acquiring a centre. If this is in fact true, it leaves only a few options on the Oilers roster.
The team could part with a player like Jack Roslovic who has proven his ability to play both centre and wing and has shown he can be a productive player throughout his career. There is also the possibility of a player like Matt Savoie, who has played centre in his career and could be developed as one in the Wild system. His offensive potential may be enticing for general manager Bill Guerin to consider.
Either way, the Oilers should be all-in on acquiring the young swedish netminder, Jesper Wallstedt from the Minnesota Wild. Bowman should be trying to make a trade work as well as he can before the 2026 NHL trade deadline.