Oilers manager Stan Bowman changes his tune on a goalie trade in new interview
Photo credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports
After a disastrous back-to-back against Philadelphia and Washington, Oilers General Manager Stan Bowman would not dismiss the possibility of trading for a goalie.
Bowman feels that there are goaltenders out there that could help the Oilers, but the conditions are not great in terms acquiring one as there are only a few reasonable options out there. He also feels the goalie discussion tends to be louder than it should be.
Several names have been linked to the Oilers
In his interview with Sportsnet, the Oilers General Manager explained he wouldn't rule out a goalie trade, but is still very confident with his current tandem.
Bowman would not rule out exploring the goaltending market prior to the March 7 trade deadline
«There tends to be a lot of noise around the goaltending position, league-wide. Because when the puck goes in, it's like, either that was a good goal or a bad goal.
I just think there's a lot of attention given to that. I'm not sure it's the most productive conversation all the time.»
- Stan Bowman
«There tends to be a lot of noise around the goaltending position, league-wide. Because when the puck goes in, it's like, either that was a good goal or a bad goal.
I just think there's a lot of attention given to that. I'm not sure it's the most productive conversation all the time.»
- Stan Bowman
This is a significant departure from recent reports and comments showing Stan Bowman as not interested at all in trading for a goalie. Bowman's new comments seem more like a manager inclined to upgrade his crease, compared to his staunch denial previously.
It's just the randomness of fans or the media Well, we're going to look at every option for improving. But I would say no. That's not a big issue with our team.
- Stan Bowman - February 10, 2025
- Stan Bowman - February 10, 2025
Several names are linked to the Oilers including John Gibson of the Anaheim Ducks, Karel Vejmelka of the Utah hockey club and recently Jordan Binnington of the St Louis Blues. Gibson has been rumored to wanting to go to the Oilers as he has felt the team has a great chance to go back to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Having played his entire career with the Ducks and that team showing no signs of competing for a playoff spot anytime soon, Gibson has made it clear that he would like to go to a contender.
Some pundits feel Gibson would be the answer for the Oilers an others feel that he's been mostly average and would not give them that over-the-top goaltending they would need.
Utah may have what the Oilers are looking for
Vejmelka would be more of an intriguing option as his contract is slated to come to an end at the end of the year and his cost is far less in terms of dollars and potential return heading back to Utah.
The only question mark is that he's not well known and hasn't had a large body of work which could be a gamble for the Oilers.
It's becoming clear that Bowman has several areas of his team that needs addressing but with only so much cap space and so much draft capital, the Oilers need to plan which areas need the most which seems to point towards goaltending even though the hope was otherwise.
The Oilers now shift gears South the Oilers as they head to the Sunshine State to take on the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Florida Panthers over the next two games.
Hopefully, playing their Stanley Cup rematch game will do them a world of good, and they can turn this around quickly.
| POLL | ||
FEVRIER 24 | 1167 ANSWERS Oilers manager Stan Bowman changes his tune on a goalie trade in new interview Do you think the Edmonton Oilers must upgrade their goaltending this trade deadline? | ||
| Yes | 1057 | 90.6 % |
| No | 110 | 9.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
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