Suggested Goalie Trade for Oilers Big Swing and Miss by New Analyst [Opinion]

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Erik Johnson suggested during the Saturday Headlines report that the Edmonton Oilers should do anything they can to grab Jordan Binnington from the St. Louis Blues. If not Binnington, he name-dropped Juuse Saros of the Nashville Predators. The panel didn’t say anything, but you could see they thought his theory was a bit off given the Oilers’ current goaltending situation.

Fans have flooded social media since the comments to note that Johnson’s take, while respected, was a total miss. Few seemed to agree with Johnson when he noted, “I think he still has some gas left in the tank. If I’m Edmonton, I’m doing absolutely everything I can to get this guy, or even a Saros out of Nashville.”

Related: Binnington Back on the Trade Block, and Oilers Are Being Mentioned

First, Binnington has a strong resume, but the argument that he’s got a lot left in the tank is debatable. In five games this season, he’s got a 4.27 goals-against average and an .851 save percentage. In other words, he’s been terrible, losing the starting job to Joel Hofer, who has played 12 games, with a 9.19 save percentage and 2.36 goals against. Binnington is arguably washed up, having only flashes of strong international play to hold onto. That the Oilers would go out of their way to acquire him as a rental is a reach.

Saros might be a better fit, but even that is a maybe. With much better numbers, it’s not a given the Nashville Predators would be open to trading him. He holds a full no-move and is locked into a long-term deal at $7.74 million per season. He’s a more proven option for the Oilers, but that contract is not an easy one to take on, even if it’s reasonable.

The Oilers Goaltenders Are Playing Well

Devon Levi returned for Edmonton and earned a 4-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night. He looked calm and steady, poised and ready to reassume the starting role after an injury. Meanwhile, Tristan Jarry has shown much better this season than last. He’s been a steady fill-in with Levi out, and the Oilers have gotten more than sufficient goaltending. They’re in no rush to change things, and there’s a real appetite to see what Levi can become.

Meanwhile, Frederik Andersen is working his way back from an injury. The Oilers will have a fully loaded crease with some tough decisions to make. If everyone is playing well, where does Andersen even fit? The thought of removing one of the pieces to take a swing on Binnington is wild. Even if Edmonton’s goaltending started to struggle, Binnington probably isn’t the guy.

Johnson clearly hasn’t watched enough of the Oilers to realize had good a spot they’re in. Edmonton may learn that these three netminders aren’t the solution to their Stanley Cup woes, but GM Stan Bowman certainly isn’t knocking down the door for a Blues’ goaltender who has worse numbers than any of the options available to the Oilers today.

To be fair, Johnson was quite good on the panel Saturday night. This one was just a swing and a miss.

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