When Elliotte Friedman stated that St. Louis Blues/Team Canada goaltender Jordan Binnington was starting to truly enter the trade conversation, analysts and fans were quick to tie the Edmonton Oilers to the rumors.
After all, he has a Stanley Cup under his belt and won 25+ games in three consecutive seasons (2022-23 to 2024-25). And hey, maybe that is enough to qualify someone to be a goaltender for the Oilers.
Not so fast.
The Oilers shouldn't pounce on a Binnington trade and they should at least wait before even thinking about it.
On the surface level, it's another risky goaltending conversation
The Oilers have dealt with some not-so-comfortable goaltending in recent years.
And Stuart Skinner is only one of those names.
If the Oilers decide to make a trade for Jarry, it would only represent more risk in one of the game's most important position. And that comes only a year after the Oilers traded Skinner for Tristan Jarry.
In particular, Binnington's numbers have steadily declined since his Cup-winning season; that trend has become way more apparent in recent years. Two of Binnington's last four seasons have seen him record a winning percentage below .900; both seasons also saw his goals against average surpass 3.30 goals per game.
So far this season, it hasn't been any better for the Richmond Hill, Ontario native. He's off to a 1-3-1 start through his first five appearances, which have seen him concede well over four goals per game and post a .851 save percentage. He's also given up at least three goals in four of his first five starts of the season, which includes a season-opening 6-1 loss at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche.
Statistically speaking, acquiring Binnington would represent the riskiest goaltending decision since ... whatever the New Jersey Devils were thinking by not starting Connor Hellebuyck against the Winnipeg Jets.
Devils GM Sunny Mehta has announced that Connor Hellebuyck won’t start Tuesday’s game in Winnipeg, citing a team decision that would reduce their odds of winning the game. pic.twitter.com/Q4z3JmVCFf
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) November 9, 2026
The Devils were probably going to end up losing this game in hilarious fashion. But this might go down as one of the strangest decisions in hockey history.
Back to the article.
For the first time in a while, the Oilers have some control over their goaltending unit
The words Edmonton, Oilers, good, and goaltending probably don't go together in sentences all that often. Just like water and oil, pineapple and pizza, and Simon Cowell and half of the bands he formed on The X Factor.
This season, they somehow do. I don't know why, but they do.
Jarry is 4-1-3 and has two shutouts, while Devon Levi is still 7-1-0 even with his .889 save percentage in mind. At the same time, the Oilers got a near-shutout out of Matt Tomkins, though there is no sign of Frederik Andersen just yet.
Even then, Jarry and Levi have done enough to help get Edmonton in this position. Sure, the near-historic scoring to start the season has helped to take the spotlight off that end of the ice, but the goaltending hasn't been costing the team a significant amount of games just yet.
With the way Binnington's season has started, the Oilers would lose any such breathing room in terms of goaltending. He could always rebound in a new environment; this can be true. But it isn't something that the Oilers should take a chance on.
And even if Edmonton wanted to go and get him in a trade, they would need their concerns to be reflected in a trade package. The Oilers would probably want the Blues to absorb at least a quarter of Binnington's cap hit this season, which is equal to $6 million, and they would want either a first-round pick (the Blues control their first-rounders for the next four seasons) or a player that can help the Oilers now.
In this regard, Pius Suter could be an option to consider; he would bring some depth scoring and recent postseason experience, having been a part of the Vancouver Canucks team that faced the Oilers during the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
At the same time, Edmonton would want the Blues to take on a contract or two of their own to make the money work. Jake Walman has been a favorite mock trade package candidate of mine, so he's going in here. But with his $7 million cap hit, the Oilers would add a prospect to keep St. Louis interested, likely a bottom-six forward with a cap hit below $1 million. The latter part of the package could be replaced with the Blues taking on another quarter of Binnington's cap hit
Even then, the Oilers should opt to wait
This is a situation that can still change very quickly.
Binnington's form could turn around and the Blues opt to hold onto him until the deadline. The early form that the Oilers' goaltending has put together could end up being reversed. Or Frederik Andersen returns and puts together some solid performances to establish a goaltending trio for the Oilers.
These are all things that could happen within the next few months, and they could both benefit and hurt the Oilers. As a result, Edmonton's front office should wait until mid-to-late January and then re-evaluate their situation. Waiting until that point will give the Oilers time to get through half of their regular-season slate and have a much bigger picture as to what their roster looks like and where their needs truly rest.
If the Oilers make another premature goaltending move by acquiring Binnington, they could easily be stuck with an experienced-but-struggling netminder and another dicey salary cap situation.
Neither of which the Oilers can necessarily afford at this time.
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