Countdown to TradeCentre: No goalie help coming for struggling Oilers?
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The NHL's March 7 Trade Deadline is approaching, and teams are making decisions on whether to buy or sell, and on which players can make the biggest difference and hold the greatest value. Check out today's trade rumours and speculation from around the NHL beat.
Sticking with Skinner?
The Edmonton Oilers are spiraling with four straight losses and have been outscored 22-11 over that stretch.
While some, including TSN's Travis Yost, have argued the team must upgrade their goaltending before the playoffs, TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun reports that does not appear to be part of the game plan for general manager Stan Bowman ahead of the trade deadline.
"It’s not that likely at the moment," LeBrun explained Tuesday on Insider Trading. "It’s not a priority discussion within that Oilers front office for a very specific reason. I don’t think the Oilers look at the goalies available on the market right now and say there’s a guy that’s an absolute guaranteed upgrade over Stuart Skinner. Of course the Oilers know that Skinner can play better and is going to need to play better. But they look at his playoff pedigree and feel that that guy is there and will be there.
"I’m not saying it’s impossible for them to trade for a goalie but I’m telling you it’s not a priority item for them because they don’t see that guy out there. I know a lot of people have linked John Gibson to the Edmonton Oilers in part because Gibson is willing to waive, we believe, to go to the Oilers and the Ducks are willing to trade him. But I don’t think the Oilers view John Gibson as an upgrade over Stuart Skinner, not to mention Gibson’s contract, a couple more years at $6.4 million. So, never say never but it doesn’t sound like as big of an issue for the Oilers as it is for their fanbase."
Skinner has just one win in his past five starts, owning a 20-14-4 record this season with a .898 save percentage and a 2.84 goals-against average. The 26-year-old netminder had a .905 save percentage in the regular season last year before going 14-9 in the playoffs with a .901 save percentage to help the Oilers reach the Stanley Cup Final before falling to the Florida Panthers in Game 7. He remains signed through next season at a cap hit of $2.6 million.
Behind Skinner on Edmonton's depth chart, Calvin Pickard has gone 14-6-0 this season with a .896 save percentage and a 2.69 GAA. The 32-year-old has started three of the past five games for the Oilers.
Gibson has long been on the trade block with the Anaheim Ducks, but his $6.4 million cap hit continues to stand a roadblock in any potential deal. The 31-year-old has a 9-9-2 record this season with a .916 save percentage and a 2.61 goals-against average. He's on pace for his best season statically since 2018-19. Currently sidelined with an upper-body injury, Gibson also missed time at the beginning of this season an appendectomy in late September.
The Ducks sparked the rumour mill on Monday when the team acquired goaltender Ville Husso from the Detroit Red Wings for future considerations. A pending unrestricted free agent carrying a hefty cap hit of $4.75 million, Husso has been assigned to the AHL's San Diego Gulls.
Along with Gibson, Yost wrote that Utah Hockey Club netminder Karel Vejmelka could be another option for the Oilers ahead of the deadline. A pending UFA, Vejmelka has a 15-15-4 record this season with a .910 save percentage and a 2.48 GAA.
All quiet on Ristolainen?
Kevin Kurz of The Athletic reports the Philadelphia Flyers have gotten fewer calls than they expected on defenceman Rasmus Ristolainen and he believes there's "a decent chance" he sticks with the team beyond the trade deadline.
The 30-year-old blueliner has four goals and 18 points in 56 games this season while averaging 20:30 of ice time.
Ristolainen remains under contract through the 2026-27 season at a cap hit of $5.1 million. He does not have trade protection in his contract.
Selected eighth overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2013 draft, Ristolainen has 56 goals and 303 points in 769 career games.
The Flyers sit five points out of the final wild-card spot entering play Wednesday, with four teams sitting between them and the Columbus Blue Jackets, who currently own the final wild-card spot.
Philadelphia shook up their roster last month, trading Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee to the Calgary Flames in exchange for Jakob Pelletier, Andrei Kuzmenko and two draft picks.
Gourde on the move?
Seattle Kraken pending unrestricted free agent Yanni Gourde appears to be a name to watch ahead the trade deadline.
Gourde has been sidelined since the end of January after surgery on a sports hernia, but TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun reports he is working towards a return to the lineup before the deadline to increase his chances of being moved.
The 33-year-old, who carries a cap hit of $5.17 million on his expiring deal, was given a timeline of five-to-seven weeks for recovery on Jan. 31.
"Well, five weeks is March 7, the day of the trade deadline. He’s already resumed skating and his objective, according to sources, is to try and come back and play next week on March 4, a few days before the deadline," LeBrun said on Insider Trading. "I wonder why? And yes, Gourde, who has a modified no-trade, would like to join a contender.
"He won two Stanley Cups in Tampa as you’ll remember and I always saw him as a potential fit with Toronto by the way if they strike out on those bigger names that Dregs talked about at the top. Keep an eye on Gourde perhaps as a fit for the Leafs."
LeBrun comments came after TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger linked the Toronto Maple Leafs to St. Louis Blues captain Brayden Schenn and Philadelphia Flyers centre Scott Laughton.
Gourde has six goals and 16 points in 35 games after posting 11 goals and 33 points in 80 games last season. The left-handed centre is a three-time 20-goal scorer, last hitting the mark in 2021-22 in his first season with the Kraken.
Seattle is 10 points back of the Calgary Flames for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference with three more games played. The team is on track to miss the playoffs for the third time in their four seasons.
Giordano Plays GM
Veteran defenceman Mark Giordano gave his take on what the Toronto Maple Leafs may do at the deadline, having spent the previous three seasons with the team.
Giordano praised the team's goaltending and improved style of play under new head coach Craig Berube this season, but said he would target a right-handed centre to round out their roster.
He wondered if Utah Hockey Club centre Nick Bjugstad could be a fit to fill that role. Bjugstad is a pending unrestricted free agent carrying a cap hit of $2.1 million. He has five goals and 15 points in 51 games this season after posting 22 goals and a career-best 45 points in 76 games last season.
Watch Giordano's full breakdown below: