The Edmonton Oilers have had their share of goaltending woes with many fans and media calling into question their current tandem in net. This has caused plenty of speculation surrounding the Oilers targeting a goaltender this summer and thus far, nothing has happened.
However, New Jersey Devils beat reporter, James Nichols speculated on a potential trade between the Devils and the Oilers. There does not seem to be anything concrete aside from a good fit on both sides with the Devils having a logjam between the pipes and with a young netminder banging on the door, 24 year old Nico Daws.
Nichols says “Daws in Edmonton makes a lot of sense.” And I happen to agree, in a vacuum but does it actually makes sense for the Oilers to pursue Nico Daws?
The fit for Nico Daws
The Oilers are currently set to run back their goaltending tandem once again, leaving many to question whether the front office dropped the ball by not addressing their goaltending. Stuart Skinner has been the Oilers de facto starter for the past three seasons and despite the team making back-to-back Stanley Cup finals appearances, he has struggled. Last year specifically, he played in 51 games during the regular season with a 26-18-4 record and a 2.81 goals against average with .896 save percentage and a quality start percentage at .500. The postseason was even more shaky with a 7-6-1 record and .889 save percentage.
Calvin Pickard, despite stepping in admirably when Skinner was faltering, he is 33 years old and has not been a consistent NHL goaltender for years until his time with the Oilers. This past year in 36 games, he had a 22-10-1 record and a .900 save percentage with a quality start percentage of .671, the highest since his rookie season. His playoff numbers were also worse with a .886 save percentage in 10 games.
It is fair to say that the Oilers could use an upgrade in net but is that Nico Daws? Daws is an up and coming netminder who has been with the Devils organization since being drafted by the club in the Third Round at the 2020 NHL Draft. He has yet to fully break onto the scene yet and he will be 25 by the end of the calendar year, giving him a fairly small development window.
He was highly touted after being drafted and has shown some flashes of brilliance, playing 52 NHL games since 2021-22 and currently holding a 22-23-1 record with a .898 save percentage and .426 quality start percentage. At this stage, he shows some real promise but the Oilers should be cautious about putting much stock in it given their current positioning.
Depending on the cost of acquiring Daws, there is a fit between the two clubs and with the Oilers rumored to be pursuing goaltenders, Daws should be on the list. At the right price, he could provide a real shot at some standout goaltending for now and in the future. However, with him being unproven, the Oilers should not put all of their eggs in his basket and should continue to search for a tangible upgrade between the pipes, if possible.
If this speculation is real and the rumors of the Oilers pursuing a goaltender are true and the two sides work out a deal, Oilers fans can hope the team does not make an insane trade with the devils like they did the last time.