Head coach Kris Knoblauch and the Edmonton Oilers are really having a tough time with their goalies as the NHL trade deadline gets closer.
Earlier in the season, the general manager Stan Bowman made a risky move. He traded their own goalie Stuart Skinner and a good defender Brett Kulak to the Pittsburgh Penguins for the seasoned goalie Tristan Jarry.
The team truly thought that getting Jarry would fix their problems with goaltending. However, this big trade has turned out to be a real issue.
Skinner has been doing amazing things since he joined the Penguins, helping them climb the standings.
On the other hand, Jarry hasn’t played well in Edmonton. He has been taken out of games several times and is still having trouble making saves, with a low save percentage of under . 890 since the trade.
A Big Goaltending Upgrade Is Necessary
Since they have a real opportunity to win the Stanley Cup, Edmonton can’t waste the best years of their top players on bad goaltending. NHL analyst Pierre McGuire recently suggested a good fix for this clear problem.
During a recent talk on TSN690, McGuire strongly recommended that the Oilers should act fast to get superstar goalie Sergei Bobrovsky.
The Florida Panthers have just said they are ready to trade their players after losing too many games. They are very open to letting go of players who will be free agents soon, and Bobrovsky is at the top of that list.
If the Oilers truly want to make a strong playoff run and win the Cup this spring, going after Bobrovsky would surely be a smart move.
Bringing in an experienced goalie like Bobrovsky, who has a lot of playoff experience, would quickly strengthen their defense and let their offense play more freely.
Even though Bowman isn’t currently flush with money, it’s very important to take care of those money issues when a championship is at stake.
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