Former GM: Oilers Missed ‘Home Run’ Goalie Deal with Boston?

Pierre McGuire said recently, while a guest on The Sheet with Jeff Marek, “I’m just wondering if they didn’t miss out on the potential of hitting a home run deal with Boston to solidify their goaltending position.” He asked if they missed out on Linus Ullmark or Jeremy Swayman, suggesting there was an opportunity with the Bruins because “It was volatile beyond belief.”

The Bruins ultimately traded Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators. Swayman stayed put and had a down season in the 2024-25 season. All the while, the Oilers were thinking about upgrading in net, and both of those netminders might have potentially been available.

Marek wasn’t sure that Ullmark would have been the best fit. While acknowledging his talent and praising his work ethic, Marek wasn’t confident that Ullmark had yet demonstrated consistent performance in high-pressure, high-stakes situations. Swayman handled the bigger moments. The Ottawa deal involving Ullmark seemed to work out for Ottawa, although the Bruins might now be regretting that trade.

McGuire then said he was referring more to Swayman and the stress that developed between the Bruins and the goalie. He believes there was a window of opportunity where another team could have swooped in and made an offer to pry Swayman away from Boston. How that would have impacted the Ullmark deal is unclear. What the Oilers would have had to pay Swayman is also unknown. McGuire seemed convinced, however, that things might have gone differently for Swayman if he had been in Edmonton and the Oilers had erased concerns about their inconsistent goaltending.

Do you agree? Would the Oilers have been smart to talk trade with the Bruins before all of the goalie drama unfolded in Boston? The what-ifs of how things might have played out differently are quite fascinating.

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