Analytics Comparing Jordan Binnington to Skinner-Pickard are Eye-Opening

While there are a plethora of reasons why the Edmonton Oilers are 11-11-5 through 27 games and out of the playoff picture, above all else, what it always comes back to is the goaltending. Stuart Skinner has been better of late, but nobody can forget just how disastrous things were one week ago, when it truly felt as if his time in Edmonton could be nearing its end.

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That coincided with mass rumors about the Oilers’ interest in a number of high-profile goaltenders on the trade market, none more talked about than Jordan Binnington.

There’s been plenty of pushback about a potential Binnington deal ever since, though that hasn’t stopped the discussions around the hockey world, and on Tuesday, former NHL goaltender, now analyst, Stephen Valiquette shared that Edmonton could be in a drastically different position with Binnington in net instead of Skinner or Calvin Pickard.

Valiquette said:

“Put the two of them, Pickard and Skinner, together, ok. So, if I was to take the exercise where I put Binnington, knowing that Binnington is a good breakaway goalie, knowing that history-wise speaks to him being a very good rebound goalie, and we plop him in that net, he would have saved the Edmonton Oilers this year 16 more goals… Edmonton this year, 33 breakway chances faced as a team, 14 goals went in the net. Even if you put a league average goalie in they would have made six more breakaway saves. Alright, so the math, maths,”

It’s certainly intriguing math, and his calculations might be open to debate, but his point is obvious. The 32-year-old Binnington has a 6-6-5 record with a 3.20 goals-against average and a .878 save percentage in 16 starts playing behind a struggling Blues team. Valiquette believes, despite Binnington’s low numbers, he would have been a much better netminding option for Edmonton.

Jordan Binnington is an Upgrade Over Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard

If this were ever up for debate, it should be settled now; Binnington is undoubtedly an upgrade over the Skinner and Pickard tandem the Oilers are currently running.

While his numbers may not always have been pretty in recent years, the Blues have had major ups and downs in front of him, and when they’ve needed Binnington most, he steps up every single time.

With goal scoring as high as it is in today’s game, it’s not even necessarily the pure statistics that Edmonton is looking for in net; it’s the guy who can make timely saves and thrive in the biggest moments of the biggest games. That is exactly what you get with Binnington.

There are, of course, some obstacles at play should they decide to pursue such a deal, but that shouldn’t stop Stan Bowman from trying, because this is not a lateral move.

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