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The Edmonton Oilers suffered another brutal defeat in the Stanley Cup Final on Tuesday night. The Oilers lost to the Florida Panthers in a Game 6 that simply wasn't close. Florida dominated the play, with Sam Reinhart scoring four goals in the clinching game. They celebrated as back-to-back champions. And Edmonton has to figure things out over the summer.
The Oilers enter NHL Free Agency needing a better turn of fate. Edmonton's two big free agent signings from last summer — Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson — were healthy scratches at times in the playoffs. They cannot afford to have their major additions fail to pay off in any meaningful way when it matters most.
Edmonton has some wiggle room, on paper at least. They have nearly $12 million in available cap space, according to PuckPedia. However, a lot of this space will likely go toward restricted free agent defenseman Evan Bouchard. He figures to command a massive pay rise, especially given his historic offensive production in the postseason.
If the Oilers are going to make a splash, they may need to get creative. Thankfully, there is a name out there that fills the team's greatest need. And Edmonton has a realistic chance at acquiring his services during this offseason.
Ducks' John Gibson should be Oilers' No. 1 target
The Oilers have struggled with goaltending for a while in a general sense. However, they have caught lightning in a bottle during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Calvin Pickard has turned in some solid performances. And at times, Stuart Skinner has played lights out, seeming impenetrable in goal.
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However, this has always been a double-edged sword. This tandem can play as well as any tandem on occasion. But they also have the tendency to be nearly unplayable. They especially have the tendency to implode at the absolute worst possible moments.
Take the 2025 Stanley Cup Final, for instance. Skinner had some solid performances in Games 1 and 2. The team in front of him imploded in Game 3. Unfortunately, he wasn't up to the task in Game 4, being pulled for Pickard. Edmonton went with Pickard in Game 5, which didn't work. And Skinner couldn't pull it together in Game 6.
The Oilers cannot go into 2025-26 without adding a goaltender. This brings us to Anaheim Ducks goalie John Gibson. Gibson has a solid track record in the NHL. However, he has had some less-than-ideal performances as Anaheim has worked through its rebuild.
Gibson is coming off a fine season as the primary backup in Anaheim. He finished the season with a .911 save percentage in 29 games. Moreover, he finished with 9.71 Goals Saved Above Average and 11.71 Goals Saved Above Expected, according to Evolving Hockey. Overall, it was one of the best seasons in recent memory for the veteran netminder.
The Ducks are motivated to move his salary off the books. And Gibson is hoping to become a primary option in goal once again. Anaheim also has its goalie of the future in Lukas Dostal, who is a restricted free agent.
The financial aspect of this is going to be difficult. Especially if the Oilers sign Bouchard to a market value contract. In any event, this is the most realistic avenue for Edmonton to upgrade its goaltending. The Ducks and Gibson are open to a split, while Edmonton offers a chance to win the Stanley Cup. It's a beneficial move for all involved.
