It certainly wasn’t an easier road to the Stanley Cup Finals for the Edmonton Oilers last season. They had to dig incredibly deep to get past the excellent Dallas Stars, but ultimately, they fell to the Panthers again, with Florida improving to win the series in Game 6 in 2025. The fatigue was plain to see across the Edmonton cast.
Physicality, a tight game plan, and above all, stellar goaltenders buoyed the Florida Panthers beyond the Oilers. Even with their elite-tier forward group and some stellar defenseman, Edmonton couldn’t offer enough to match the repeat champions. With this Cup window seemingly closing, the Oilers were rather quiet in the free agency.
An Uneventful Opening to the Free Agency
The offseason began in earnest by trading Evander Kane to the Vancouver Canucks for a fourth-round pick at the 2025 NHL Draft. After trading one of the key pieces who could go shoulder-to-shoulder with the likes of the 2024 and 2025 Cup winners, Viktor Arvidsson was also traded away, this time for a fifth-rounder.
When the free agency opened, right wings Corey Perry and Connor Brown left for the Los Angeles Kings and New Jersey Devils, respectively, on July 1, and offensive defenseman John Klingberg went to the rebuilding San Jose Sharks. On July 1, Riley Stillman, Curtis Lazar, and Matt Tomkins were added on $775k deals to pad the roster.
As of July 7, Andrew Mangiapane was the only significant signing, arriving on a two-year, $3.6 million deal. The THW projections for the Oilers’ lines see Mangiapane joining Draisaitl’s second line. The skating lines will get a good injection of prospects for next season, but the most pressing need is yet to be addressed.
Clear Area 2025/26 Frontrunners have already Addressed
Few would doubt that goaltender Stuart Skinner has a high ceiling in the NHL and is a decent enough regular-season netminder at 26 years old. However, he’s simply not experienced enough or playing at a high enough calibre to get a team to the Stanley Cup.
Sergei Bobrovsky, ten years Skinner’s senior, put up a line of 23 games, 2.20 GAA, .914 save percentage, 16 wins, and three shutouts. Skinner played 15 games, with Calvin Pickard coming in on ten occasions, for a 3.00 GAA, .889 save percentage, seven wins, and three shutouts.
As of 7 July, this hasn’t impacted the Oilers’ odds of winning it all on their third attempt, with the NHL betting lines seeing them as the second favourites. At +700 to Florida’s +600, the oddsmakers are relying on a repeat and the might of their offensive line.
Around the Oilers, the four other frontrunners are in a far better position in goal. The Carolina Hurricanes (+800) have Frederik Andersen to trust in the playoffs; Colorado has made a true starter out of Mackenzie Blackwood; the Dallas Stars (+900) can continue to rely on the superb Jake Oettinger; and the Golden Knights (+900) have Adin Hill.
While Skinner has put in some very good performances in the Oilers’ postseason runs, he’s not quite there yet to rely on for a deep run in 2025/26. To get the Stanley Cup while Draisaitl and McDavid are still on the books, the Oilers need to trade for a top-class, experienced goalie, as the free agency is looking a little thin.
Trade for One Last Push or Wait for the Reboot
To make the absolute most of this extended Stanley Cup window powered by league-leading talents, the Edmonton Oilers have to trade for an experienced goaltender. However, resources are somewhat tight. In 2026, the Oilers only have their second, third, sixth, and seventh round picks.
In 2027 and 2028, they have all three of their first three rounds, and an extra one in round three of 2028. Of course, there are also two NHL starting goaltenders on the roster on cheap deals that end at the close of the 2025/26 season who could also pump up the offer. Importantly, they’re not the only impending UFAs for 2026/27.
Connor McDavid ($12.5m), Adam Henrique ($3m), Kasperi Kapanen ($1.3m), David Tomasek ($1.3m), Max Jones ($1m), Curtis Lazar ($775k), Mattias Ekholm ($6m), Jake Walman ($3.4m), Brett Kulak ($2.75m), Troy Stecher ($788k), and Stuart ($2.6m), and Pickard ($1m) all see their contracts expire at the end of next season as it stands.
With under $200,000 to play with under the cap, as of July 7, the Oilers don’t have a lot of wiggle room to trade for a goaltender who can get them over the line. At the end of next season, though, Edmonton’s front office could have as much as $36.4 million to completely rebuild around Bouchard, Nurse, Draisaitl, Hyman, and Nugent-Hopkins.
While this Breakaway piece has mused that the Oilers and Sabres should fashion a trade for up-and-coming 23-year-old Devon Levi, this isn’t the winning play. He’ll be a fine NHL goaltender eventually, but the Oilers want to win now. Acquiring Levi might be a good move for the future, but it wouldn’t solve the problem of now.
In the next free agency, Oilers’ bane Sergei Bobrovsky, Jacob Markstrom, and Filip Gustavsson are currently set to hit the open market. All of them greatly outperformed Skinner and Pickard. So, either the Oilers could trade for one at the deadline or wait for the summer to fully retool. Either way, to win the Cup, Edmonton must up
