\u2014 First off, the Oilers need to know the extent of the injury, because whether it\u2019s short-term, mid-term or long-term will impact general manager Stan Bowman\u2019s thought process. The NHL Christmas roster freeze begins tonight at 11:59 p.m. MT. A mid- or long-term injury would likely lead to a trade, and if they want an NHL goalie from outside the organization for this weekend\u2019s back-to-backs games, the trade needs to occur today.<\/p>\n
If it is short term, the easiest move is to recall Connor Ingram<\/a> or Matt Tomkins<\/a> from Bakersfield. Tompkins has made four starts in December and allowed 10 goals on 125 shots for a .920 save percentage and a 2.47 GAA. Ingram has made three starts and allowed 16 goals on 87 shots for an .839 save percentage and a 5.47 GAA. You can\u2019t just base a goalie\u2019s play off of GAA and Sv%, the defensive play also matters, because if you watched his last start where he allowed seven goals, at least five, probably six, weren\u2019t his fault. Some goalies are excellent at scrambling, but Ingram is at his best when he\u2019s under control. The AHL style of play is often more scrambly and unpredictable than the NHL and that is why I expect he will be recalled.\u2014 Jesper Wallstedt<\/a> played 103 games in the AHL and had a .902Sv% and a 2.90 GAA. His stats weren\u2019t unreal, but this season in the NHL he\u2019s been outstanding. Some goalies have great number in the AHL, others have okay and others not great, but the NHL is very different. Ingram has played well before in the NHL and that\u2019s why the Oiler acquired him.\u2014 I jokingly tweeted \u201cAlex Lyon<\/a> come on down,\u201d after Jarry was injured. I don\u2019t think Lyon is easily available right now. The Sabres have won four games in a row and Lyon has won all four. He relieved Colton Ellis in Edmonton, after he left the game, and Lyon won that game and has made three starts since and he\u2019s allowed only nine goals on 107 shots (.916sv%). The Sabres are only five points out of a playoff spot with a game in hand. I don\u2019t see them trading Lyon today.\u2014 Would Boston be interested in trading Micheal DiPietro<\/a>? He is 10-4 with a 1.97 GAA and .933Sv% in Providence. They also have Simon Zajicek who is two years younger and has almost identical numbers (2.02 GAA and .932SV%) as Dipietro. I think Dipietro has NHL potential and just needs an opportunity.<\/p>\n \u2014 Laurent Brossoit makes $3.3-million and he hasn\u2019t played an NHL game since April 28th, 2024, when he played 18 minutes in relief of Connor Hellebuyck in the playoffs. Brossoit missed all of last season recovering from a knee injury. Even if the Hawks retained 50 percent of his salary, he\u2019d still have a $1.65-m cap hit. I don\u2019t see that making sense for Edmonton, unless it is closer to the deadline and you\u2019ve seen Brossoit perform well in the AHL.<\/p>\n \u2014 Carolina is currently carrying three goalies on their 23-man roster. Brandon Bussi, who they claimed on waivers earlier this season, has won 11 of his 12 starts. He and Pyotr Kochetkov have started the past seven games, while Freddie Anderson has dressed as the backup a few times. Considering their injury history with goalies, I don\u2019t see them moving one of them anytime soon.<\/p>\n \u2014 Montreal has three goalies on the roster, although Samuel Montembeault is on a conditioning stint in the AHL. He makes $3.15m while Jakub Dobes ($965K) and Jacob Fowler ($923K) are rotating starts. I see little reason for them to move either of Dobes (24 years old) or Fowler (21) at this moment.<\/p>\n \u2014 There aren\u2019t many viable trade options right now, and a recall seems the most likely outcome, at least for the upcoming three games.<\/p>\n