Since sending starter Jack Campbell to their AHL affiliate in Bakersfield in November, the Edmonton Oilers have
been looking for a goaltending upgrade. It’s made them a popular topic of media trade talk. The Oilers were rumored to be interested in Montreal Canadiens goalies Jake Allen and Sam Montembeault, as well as free agent netminder Jaroslav Halak, in recent weeks. They were also linked to Jordan Binnington of the St. Louis Blues, Juuse Saros and Yaroslav Askarov of the Nashville Predators, and Linus Ullmark of the Boston Bruins, though most of that speculation appeared to be wishful thinking. According to PuckPedia, the Oilers’ current cap space is only $150,000. Most of that speculation seemed to fade by the end of November. Some commentators
suggested the Oilers were more likely to recall Campbell if he played well in Bakersfield. However, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman observed that three Oilers executives/scouts were spotted in Columbus twice this week.
Friedman stated that they watched the Blue Jackets beat the Boston Bruins with Spencer Martin in goal on Monday. They were also present for Wednesday’s game against the Montreal Canadiens, which featured Elvis Merzlikins in goal. While Merzlikins has a $5.4-million cap hit and a 10-team no-trade clause through 2027, Martin has a
$762,500 cap hit in his final season. According to Friedman, Jackets netminder Daniil Tarasov is nearing a return to action. He’s no longer waiver-exempt, which means they could be down to three goaltenders. This season, the Jackets would not be the only team to do so. The Canadiens are led by newly extended Montembeault, Allen, and Cayce Primeau, while the Detroit Red Wings are led by Ville Husso, James Reimer, and Alex Lyon.
