There may be new goalies in the crease, but it’s continued to be the same old story for the Edmonton Oilers.

The Oilers’ first game out of the Olympic break was a rough one, as, despite their offence rolling, they fell to the Anaheim Ducks by a 6-5 final.

Much of the blame is being pointed toward Tristan Jarry, who allowed five goals on 24 shots before being pulled in the third period of what was a tie game. Afterward, head coach Kris Knoblauch didn’t pull punches when it came to Jarry’s performance.

“I wasn’t happy with the goaltending,” Knoblauch told reporters. “The goals that we gave up, especially in the third period, I didn’t like those. There was other mistakes there, but part of it is you need better goaltending.”

Acquired in mid-December in hopes of stabilizing Edmonton’s crease, Jarry sits with a 3.85 GAA and a .864 SV% through 12 appearances. Connor Ingram has been the better of the two, though his .895 SV% is nothing to write home about.

This was always the risk that came with trading Stuart Skinner for Jarry, a goaltender who is under contract through the 2027-28 season with a $5.375 million cap hit. Trading such a contract would be nearly impossible for Edmonton, meaning that if they are to look for yet another external solution, they’ll need to be creative.

Some have suggested Jordan Binnington, who has also struggled immensely this season himself with a .864 SV%. He would serve as an upgrade over Jarry thanks to his big-game experience, though it’s unlikely the St. Louis Blues would entertain such a deal given that Binnington’s contract, which carries a $6 million cap hit, expires after 2026-27.

There have also been rumblings that Sergei Bobrovsky of the Florida Panthers could be on the trading block, though his $10 million cap hit, which expires at season’s end, makes him a virtually impossible target.

Potential cheap options for Oilers

If the Oilers do look to upgrade their goaltending ahead of the March 6 trade deadline, they are going to need to find someone on a very inexpensive contract. Per Puckpedia, they have just $10,000 in cap space, meaning money will also need to head out the door. They would also need to move out a goalie, perhaps Ingram, who carries a $1.150 million cap hit.

Should management be able to find a way to make that happen, here are three inexpensive options they could consider:

Jet Greaves (Columbus Blue Jackets)

Age: 24
2025-26 stats: 37 GP, 2.62 GAA, .910 SV%
Contract: $812,500, pending RFA

The most intriguing option of the three potential options is Jet Greaves. The Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender has taken over starting duties in what is his first full season as an NHLer.

This potential trade would have been more likely earlier in the season, as the Blue Jackets were in the draft lottery conversation. Now riding a seven-game point streak, however, they may elect to keep Greaves in hopes of getting into the playoffs. With how he’s playing, they may also be viewing him as their number-one goalie for years to come, but it’s worth inquiring about.

Casey De Smith (Dallas Stars)

Age: 34
2025-26 stats: 22 GP, 2.31 GAA, .913 SV%
Contract: $1 million through 2026-27

Casey De Smith has been very solid over the past two seasons with the Dallas Stars, albeit in a backup role. Jake Oettinger is locked in as their number-one option, which suggests De Smith could be available, though they aren’t going to give him away for nothing.

The other issue here is that the Stars aren’t going to want to help the Oilers, a team that has eliminated them in each of the past two postseasons. In this scenario, the Oilers, despite being desperate, would need to be extremely careful regarding an overpayment.

Michael DiPietro (Providence Bruins)

Age: 26
2025-26 stats: 30 GP, 1.76 GAA, .938 SV%
Contract: $812,500 through 2026-27

If the Oilers had a do-over button, Michael DiPietro would likely be on their roster. The 26-year-old was placed on waivers by the Boston Bruins before the season began, but wound up going unclaimed.

With only three NHL games under his belt, DiPietro is far from a sure thing. That said, his success in the AHL over the past three seasons is impossible to ignore.

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