Goalie change coming to Edmonton following Stanley Cup loss

The offseason has arrived for the Edmonton Oilers, who unfortunately did not end the 2023-24 campaign with the Stanley Cup despite erasing a 3-0 series deficit to force a Game 7 against the Florida Panthers. Now the focus quickly turns to 2024-25, and one question Ryan S. Clark of ESPN asks if the Oilers will seek an upgrade in between the pipes for the upcoming campaign.

While Stuart Skinner got his groove back during the Stanley Cup Final, Edmonton had a tough time relying on him earlier in the playoffs and was even pulled and benched for some games during the series against the Vancouver Canucks.

“Will Edmonton make an upgrade in net? Skinner rallied to play quite well in the Western Conference finals and Cup Final, but was certainly shaky earlier.”

Could this lead to a goalie change in Edmonton?

Decisions need to be made on management and player personnel and it starts at the top with general manager Ken Holland’s deal being up and he not returning in the role next season. There is also a focus on contracts expiring on June 30th and making tough choices on who gets to come back on the roster.

And there is already an issues in net with the Oilers needing to offload Jack Campbell’s contract, whether that’s by a trade or a buyout, once that window opens. The league's first buyout period opens tomorrow and runs through Sunday at 5 p.m. ET.. The goalie does have some trade protection thanks to his 10-team no-trade list. If not, a buyout would reduce his cap hit to $1.1MM next season, saving the Oilers $2.75MM in cap space compared to burying him in the minors.

No matter if we are talking about Skinner, re-signing pending free agent netminder Calvin Pickard or offloading Cambpell, changes in net are coming to Edmonton.