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Oilers Weren’t In the Mix for Sergei Bobrovsky at the Deadline?

Were the Edmonton Oilers really in on Sergei Bobrovsky at the trade deadline?

by
Jackson Weber
March 20, 2026

There was a lot of buzz around the Edmonton Oilers potentially dipping back into the goalie market ahead of the NHL trade deadline, and the name that kept popping up most was Sergei Bobrovsky.

While there were plenty of obstacles in the way of making a move to acquire Bobrovsky, the struggles of Tristan Jarry seemed to have forced GM Stan Bowman to at the very least explore the possibility. However, it turns out the Oilers may not have been in the mix for the two-time Vezina Trophy winner after all.

According to insider David Pagnotta, the Carolina Hurricanes, Montreal Canadiens, and Vegas Golden Knights were the three teams pursuing Bobrovsky, with no mention of Edmonton being involved.

Pagnotta said:

“They (Carolina) did explore it ahead of the trade deadline. They were one of the teams that had poked around on Sergei Bobrovsky, and there were some who believed there was a decent pathway to potentially making that happen. Obviously, it didn’t. Montreal and Vegas were the other two teams in that mix. But, you know, there was a little bit of internal belief that they might be going in that direction,”

The 37-year-old Bobrovsky is, of course, a pending UFA in the seventh and final year of the seven-year, $70 million contract he signed to join the Panthers in free agency of 2019. He’s had a down 2025–26 season in Florida, sporting a 25-20-1 record to go with a 3.00 goals-against average, .879 save percentage, and four shutouts across 46 starts.

The Oilers could circle back to Bobrovsky in the offseason, when the path to landing him is much clearer. That said, with Panthers GM Bill Zito ultimately deciding to keep him, it’s very likely the veteran netminder will be extended before hitting free agency, although contract negotiations haven’t been all that smooth thus far.

How Connor Ingram and Jarry fare for the rest of the 2025–26 season will greatly influence how aggressive—if at all—GM Stan Bowman is in pursuing a goalie this summer. If he does decide to upgrade at the position, it will probably have to come via trade, because the UFA options aren’t going to provide that, especially if Bobrovsky is off the market.

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