The pick the Edmonton Oilers traded away in 2021 is now haunting them
Photo credit: Edit from Oilers Nation
The Wild traded up to the Oilers' pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft and selected goalie Jesper Wallstedt, who is excelling right now, which is haunting Edmonton.
The Oilers don't need further reminders about their shaky goaltending, but Jesper Wallstedt keeps sending them anyway.
The Minnesota Wild rookie is scorching hot, and with every shutout and every absurd statistic, Edmonton's 2021 draft decision looks worse.
What Jesper Wallstedt has been doing so far this season
Wallstedt has been nearly unbeatable over his last five starts, going 5-0-0 while stopping 163 of 168 shots for a 0.99 GAA and a .970 save percentage.
Over his last four, he's posted three shutouts, four wins, a .978 save percentage, and a 0.75 GAA, including a 32-save shutout that made him the youngest goalie in Wild history to record a five-game winning streak. He leads the league in shutouts with three in just eight starts.
Meanwhile, in Edmonton, Stuart Skinner has been solid but inconsistent. He's backstopped the Oilers to two straight Stanley Cup Finals, but they've lost both, and this season he's had several rough outings with four or more goals allowed.
As Skinner wavers and Wallstedt rises, Oilers fans have grown increasingly frustrated watching the one who got away dominate somewhere else.
Why this is going to really sting for the Oilers and their fanbase
And that's the real sting: Edmonton had Wallstedt gift-wrapped in 2021. Holding the 20th pick, they traded down to 22 so Minnesota could select the top goalie prospect on the board.
The Oilers took Xavier Bourgault instead, later trading him, and their extra pick, Luca Munzenberger, never signed and is now playing in Germany's second tier.
Now, Wallstedt has a .935 save percentage and 1.94 GAA, while the Oilers are once again searching for answers in net.
A missed pick is one thing. A star goalie they handed away is another, and this "what if" isn't going away anytime soon.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 24 | 152 ANSWERS The pick the Edmonton Oilers traded away in 2021 is now haunting them Was this trade of the 2021 pick one of the worst decisions the Oilers ever made? | ||
| Yes | 119 | 78.3 % |
| No | 33 | 21.7 % |
| List of polls | ||