As the trade deadline on March 6 gets closer, the Oilers should think about making a big trade for St. Louis Blues goalie Jordan Binnington.
Even though his NHL numbers this season—like a 3.65 goals-against average (GAA) and a save percentage of . 864—might not look great, his recent performance at the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics has brought back his reputation as a top goaltender for important games.
The Oilers need a player who can perform well in the playoff-style games.
Binnington played a key role in Team Canada winning a silver medal, showing a . 917 save percentage and a 1.78 GAA during the entire tournament.
He was especially important in the quarterfinals against Czechia and the semifinals against Finland, demonstrating the strong goaltending that helped the Blues win the Stanley Cup in 2019.
This Olympic version of Binnington is just what the Oilers are looking for. Even though they got Tristan Jarry earlier in the season, their goaltending situation is still shaky because Jarry has not been very consistent.
General Manager Stan Bowman feels a lot of pressure to make sure the goalie situation is solid, especially since the team is currently in sixth place in the Western Conference.
An interesting twist in this potential trade is the connection between Binnington and Oilers captain Connor McDavid. They have been playing together as teammates in Italy, where McDavid was named the tournament’s best player.
Even with any tension from the games, the idea of trading for Binnington still makes a lot of sense.
Binnington does really well under pressure, which is something the Oilers’ current goalies have struggled with in playoff situations.
Binnington has a cap hit of $6 million that lasts until 2026-27. Trading Jarry, who has a cap hit of $5.375 million, could be tricky with salary management but is seen as essential for a “win-now” strategy.
There are rumors that St. Louis might want a first-round pick in 2027 and a top prospect like Beau Akey to make the trade happen and speed up their rebuilding process.
With the ban on trades now over, the Oilers need to think about whether Binnington’s amazing performance at the Olympics is worth risking the team’s future. For a team that has strong scorers like McDavid and Draisaitl, having a reliable goalie could be the last important part needed to win the championship.
Leave a Reply