Oilers' goaltending search takes a twist after a surprising John Gibson revelation
Photo credit: Edit from Oilers Nation
The Oilers were close to acquiring John Gibson, but NHL insider Elliotte Friedman revealed he was not interested in sharing the crease with Stuart Skinner.
During a recent episode of OilersNOW, TSN's Ryan Rishaug participated in the show and delivered a clear message to the world: if the right trade presented itself, Edmonton's goaltender search would not be a difficult decision.
The question remains: why has the acquisition of a goaltender not yet occurred? Perhaps the holdup is that a true No. 1 is not available, not yet, anyway. Yet a starting goaltender rarely becomes a trade option until real pressure is applied.
What is causing the holdup of a goalie trade
Stan Bowman might have to improve his trade package because, at a certain point, a trade has to be made.
Boston is a name that continues to be thrown around, but with the Bruins having a record of 11-8-0 and Swayman playing so well, there's not much reason for them to trade him.
The other option would be Joonas Korpisalo, but Edmonton doesn't want a replacement goalie that's average.
Detroit is a more interesting candidate at 10-7-0, caught between competing and sliding. They might be a candidate simply because of that uncertainty.
Why John Gibson isn't a member of the Edmonton Oilers at the moment
Veteran goaltender John Gibson, currently considered a backup option, has a record of 4-5-0 with a GAA of 3.14 and a save percentage of .882, but his career stats and experience are attractive. Edmonton, however, wasn't as far off as most people thought.
Re Oilers goaltending search: "I talked about Gibson; one of the issues was that they wanted Gibson to split the job with Skinner; that wasn't what Gibson wanted to do."
- Elliotte Friedman
- Elliotte Friedman
According to Elliotte Friedman, the Edmonton Oilers tried to make a trade for Gibson earlier in the year, but could not get a deal done because Gibson wasn't going to share ice time with Stuart Skinner.
Gibson remains the most obvious candidate if the Oilers come calling with a promise he can be their true number one. Whether Bowman will agree and press for it remains to be seen.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 14 | 83 ANSWERS Oilers' goaltending search takes a twist after a surprising John Gibson revelation Should the Oilers have just let John Gibson be the full-time #1 goalie? | ||
| Yes | 58 | 69.9 % |
| No | 25 | 30.1 % |
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