Oilers missed out on cheap trade for starting goalie this offseason, insider reveals
Photo credit: Perry Nelson - USA TODAY Sports
On his podcast, analyst Frank Seravalli spoke about why the Oilers weren't able to make a deal with Vancouver for goalie Arturs Silovs.
Oilers' reluctance costs them starting goaltender
Oilers were involved...but just couldn't quite get it done. The Oilers don't really have a ton to offer and weren't entirely sure that Silovs was better than what they have right now in Skinner, as well as Cal Pickard.
- Frank Seravalli
- Frank Seravalli
At the time of the trade, the then 22-year old Silovs had yet to play many games and was an unknown factor in the NHL. He was drafted 156th overall by Vancouver in 2019.
Since that time, however, Arturs was traded to Pittsburgh for Chase Stillman and a late 4th-round pick from the 2027 Draft. He was acquired for a modest price, given how he's playing this season.
In 11 games, he has a record of 4-3-4, with a 2.74 GAA and .907 SV%, solid stats by any standard, and is slowly edging Tristan Jarry out as Pittsburgh's number one goalie.
He is the reason the Pens are battling for a playoff position. And it seems that the Oilers could have acquired him from Vancouver in this past offseason, perhaps.
We won't know because an offer was never made by GM Stan Bowman, not officially at least. There was the suggestion that Vancouver would not deal with Edmonton, being in the same division, but that is only rumour.
I think the real reason is that Bowman was not settled on Silvos and wanted a sure-fire upgrade on Stuart Skinner, which until now has not happened, and maybe won't.
There has been a clear and obvious reluctance from Stan Bowman to replace Skinner as the team's starting goalie, whether because of loyalty, or from a lack of options, it's difficult to say, really.
Oilers are now in a position where they must act on the trade market. Any more delay could cost them the season.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 22|624 ANSWERS Oilers missed out on cheap trade for starting goalie this offseason, insider reveals Is GM Stan Bowman being too careful about trading for a replacement for Stuart Skinner? | ||
| yes | 486 | 77.9 % |
| no | 138 | 22.1 % |
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