Top goaltender may be available to the Oilers via trade market

Last season was perhaps Tristan Jarry's worst of his career, where he posted a record of 16-12-6, and had a 3.12 GAA and a .893 SV%, in only 36 games played with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He was also demoted to the Pens' AHL affiliate.

Yet, Jarry's recent performances are an anomaly, and misleading, in fact. In the 36 games played last season, half were actually very good starts, averaging a SV% of just over .900, including 9 of the final 14 games of the season where he was excellent.

Having said this, Tristan Jarry would be a perfect addition to the Oilers' lineup, whose struggles in net continue to receive media attention, with no imminent solution available that address the goaltending issues.

Given that Jarry did perform poorly, he could be had for a reasonable salary. He is currently in year 3 of 5 of his contract, which has an AAV of $5.38M. If the Penguins were to absorb a portion of his salary, Edmonton could make a go of it. Though the Oilers face some cap restrictions, the current excess of forwards would allow the front office to maneuver a trade. In other words, Stan Bowman could make it work.

The Oilers were able to reach the finals in the last two seasons; but it was in spite of their goaltending, and not because of it. Edmonton relied on offense and a strong defensive team-structure. Having a goalie of Jarry's quality would certainly improve Edmonton's odds of winning.

Over his career, Jarry has a record of 152-97-31, with a 2.75 GAA and a .909 SV%. He's played his entire career for the Penguins, and has had a winning record in all but one season, and a GAA and SV% above the league average, where the goalie had played more that 25 games.

Making an effort to acquire the former 44th-overall draft pick makes sense, and Pittsburgh could be persuaded to make a deal, according to Michael Amato of SN. In fact, there is some talk that the Penguins may attempt to tank next season (though no team would openly admit it), so as to improve the odds of drafting the next generational talent, Gavin McKenna, from next summer's NHL draft. Pairing Silovs and Blomqvist in the Pens' next improves the likelihood of that happening.

For a team like the Edmonton Oilers, who require an upgrade on the Pickard and Skinner duo, the trade market is all that remains to them, as free agency only offers veterans that are back-ups.