Insider Reveals Setback If Oilers Pursue Juuse Saros Trade

For the third straight year, the Edmonton Oilers are off to yet another wonky start to a season. This time around, their record, 7-6-4, is respectable, but their performance on the ice has left much to be desired.

While the defense corps has struggled in front of them, the goaltending —once again —is a major topic of discussion in Edmonton, as the tandem of Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard isn’t cutting it, which shouldn’t surprise anyone.

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That has led to speculation about who the Oilers could target to upgrade in goal, and one name that’s picked up steam in recent weeks is Predators star netminder Juuse Saros.

While that idea sounds great, insider Frank Seravalli is not too keen on the prospect of Edmonton targeting Saros.

He explains:

“Saros wouldn’t be the choice for me for a number of reasons. One, he’s in the first year of an eight-year contract that will take him all the way until age 39. Two, his numbers have not been good for two consecutive seasons now, this one and last. And three, from an overall holistic perspective, for a team that doesn’t really have the cap space and hasn’t devoted the cap space to goaltending, in a lot of ways, what you have is what you get with Stuart Skinner and what they can afford to pay on their cap.”

As Seravalli referred to, the 30-year-old Saros just began the first season of the eight-year, $61.92 million extension he signed with Nashville in 2024.

Plenty of Hurdles in Oilers’ Attempt to Acquire Juuse Saros

Everyone can agree that the Oilers need to find a solution to their goaltending woes for the now and the future.

On the surface, acquiring Saros seems like a no-brainer to solve that issue, but the deeper you dive, it really would be a tricky deal for Stan Bowman to pull off. Insider David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period emphasized that during a recent appearance on Sportsnet Today.

“They don’t have cap space now for a quick fix; even if they do make a goalie change and Skinner’s the guy out, it’s $2.6 million. If you want an impact goalie, you’re probably looking at $5 million+; they just don’t have the space for it,” Pagnotta said.

All of this appears to shut down the possibility of the Oilers landing Saros, but if the play at the position remains status quo, Edmonton will have to get creative and potentially uncomfortable in order to make something happen.

Next: Maple Leafs’ Brandon Carlo was Shopped for Star Winger in Offseason Trade Talks