Goaltending is the hottest topic surrounding the Edmonton Oilers fans and media recently and for good reason. Their current tandem has not been playing good enough and it is causing many fans to wish for an alternate reality.
Back at the 2021 NHL Draft, the Oilers -- led by general manager Ken Holland and Director of amateur scouting, Tyler Wright -- held the rights to the 20th overall selection. When the time neared for the Oilers to make their pick, to many people's surprise, Swedish goaltender Jesper Wallstedt was still on the board.
The Oilers in need of a true franchise piece in net, had the definition of a tap-in but unfortunately, they did not do that. Instead, they opted to trade the 20th overall pick to the Minnesota Wild for the 22nd and 90th overall selections.
The #Oilers have traded the 20th-overall pick to Minnesota in exchange for the 22nd-overall pick & 90th-overall pick.#NHLDraft | #LetsGoOilers
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) July 24, 2021
Unsurprisingly, the Wild selected Wallstedt and the Oilers decided to select forward Xavier Bourgault at 22nd and defenceman Luca Muenzenberger at 90th overall.
Jesper Wallstedt giving Oilers fans buyer's remorse
We are not over four years past the 2021 NHL Draft and Wallstedt is finally getting a chance to shine in net at the NHL level, and shine he is.
Through seven games between the pipes this year for Minnesota, he has a 5-0-2 record with a 2.20 goals against average and .926 save percentage. Numbers that seem almost impossible to imagine if you watch the Oilers on a consistent basis.
Bourgault and Muenzenberger on the other hand are both out of the Oilers organization. The latter had his rights expire earlier this year and Bourgault was traded to the Ottawa Senators last year for prospect Roby Jarventie, whose been a standout for the Bakersfield Condors -- the Oilers AHL affiliate -- early on.
It is no secret that the Oilers could definitely use Wallstedt or someone of his calibre. The Oilers' current tandem of Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard have not been up to snuff this season. Both goalies currently have a sub-.890 save percentage.
It is impossible to ignore the fact that this was one of the biggest draft fumbles by the Oilers in recent memory, possibly ever. Had they taken Wallstedt and if he was performing at this level, the current talking points surrounding the Oilers would likely be all positive and the team would not be sitting outside of a playoff position most likely.