The Edmonton Oilers goalie conundrum has been and will continue to be a hot topic until the organization stops kicking the can down the road and addresses it.
It sounds like the Oilers will be rolling with Stuart Skinner as their starter once again this upcoming season, but according to various reports are open to making changes lower in the depth chart. If Edmonton is to feel more confident in their chances, they are going to want to provide Skinner with more support and pursue an upgrade at the backup goalie position.
Cole Shelton of Heavy Sports has a mock trade that attempts to fill this need with the Oilers adding an experienced backup goalie from an eastern conference contender.
Edmonton receives: Charlie Lindgren
Washington receives: Calvin Pickard, 2027 5th rounder, 2028 3rd rounder
Does Lindgren upgrade the Oilers crease?
This trade proposal is effectively a swapping of backup goalies with some added draft capital on the Caps side to incentive them to make a deal. The question at hand is how much would this move improve the Oilers goaltending?
Charlie Lindgren has been a solid backup goalie in Washington with him and Logan Thompson proving to be an adept tandem last season for a potent Caps squad. Lindgren would be an upgrade over Pickard from that regard, he’s a guy who can take more starts from Skinner and feel comfortable putting in a fringe starter situation when needed if Skinner struggles. Does Lindgren solve the Oilers goaltending woes completely? No, this move likely does not completely plug away the problem but it would appear to make it better in the short term.
We’ll see what decision the Oilers make on this front. Many insiders believe it is unlikely the Oilers current goalie tandem goes unchanged this season as the team knows this is an area they need to prioritize moving forward if they are going to go all the way in the McDavid era.
