The Edmonton Oilers are in the playoff mix heading into the NHL trade deadline. After losing in consecutive Stanley Cup Finals, they need to take advantage of Connor McDavid's prime this year. The Oilers tried to fix their goaltending through a trade for Tristan Jarry earlier in the season. That did not work, and a failure to bring in a new goalie at the deadline would be an epic failure.
The Oilers have just $200,000 in deadline cap space, according to PuckPedia, after their trade for defenseman Connor Murphy. But they are looking to offload Andrew Mangiapane's contract, which would save them nearly $3 million. If they are looking to unload more salary, Adam Henrique could be on the way out. If they are going to get a goalie, cap space is mandatory.
Who should the Oilers target at the NHL trade deadline? What is their dream scenario?
The Oilers must target Jordan Binnington
The St Louis Blues are in the middle of a disastrous season and looking to sell at the trade deadline. That could include goalie Jordan Binnington, although differing reports have emerged from St Louis. Binnington led Team Canada to a 4 Nations Face-Off title last year and was good enough to earn a gold medal in the loss to Team USA last month. If it's good enough for the Olympics, it should be more than good enough for the Oilers.
Binnington has a $6 million cap hit for this season and next, so the Blues would have to retain half of his salary. They should mandate the Oilers' 2027 first-round pick to start the package, but that may not be enough. The Blues are heading into a rebuild, so Edmonton's young roster players won't do them any good. This would need to be a future-focused package. 21-year-old goalie prospect Samuel Jonsson could be a player St Louis targets.
The Oilers' dream scenario may include more than a goalie. They already firmed up their defense, filling the hole left by Brett Kulak, who left in the Jarry trade, with Murphy. They also have depth pieces locked up, with Trent Frederic and Vasily Podkolzin signed past this season. If there is a depth scorer they can add for cheap, they should obviously take a flier. But the skaters are not where the front office should focus.
Binnington is far and away the best goalie available on the market. The Islanders have three NHL-caliber goalies, but Semyon Varlamov is still injured. Thatcher Demko is out for the year, and Kevin Lankinen has trade protection over in Vancouver. The Vegas Golden Knights have a lot of replacement-level goalies, but won't trade any to their division rivals.
If they can pull Joseph Woll out of Toronto, that would be a move on the level of Binnington. But the Maple Leafs likely want to compete next year, and that would include Woll.
The Oilers have one need and must fill it
The nightmare scenario for the Oilers is going into the postseason with Jarry, Connor Ingram, and Calvin Pickard as their three goaltending options. McDavid signed a two-year extension past this season with one mandate: win. The Oilers tried to win with an average goaltender, and it did not work. They cannot let that continue.
The Oilers have pushed all of their chips in on this core already. Before the season, they traded 19-year-old Sam O'Reilly for 21-year-old Isaac Howard. Why? Because Howard was not going to sign with the Tampa Bay Lightning, and he was NHL-ready, unlike O'Reilly.
The Blues should be selling, the Oilers should be buying. It is the most obvious trade fit of the 2026 deadline, but there is no guarantee it happens.
