GM Stan Bowman bursts Oilers fans' bubble of acquiring elite goaltender despite $51,200,000 Ducks netminder's rumored interest

Edmonton Oilers fans hoping for a trade to acquire Anaheim Ducks goalie John Gibson may be disappointed. Reports from The Athletic suggest Gibson would waive his no-trade clause to join Edmonton, but Oilers general manager Stan Bowman does not see goaltending as a problem.

“Our goalies have been great (since November),” Bowman said, via The Athletic. “Calvin Pickard is 10-1 in his last 11 games. And Skinner’s been excellent, too. Based on the performance of the team and their performance individually, they’ve done a really good job for us.

The Oilers lead the Pacific Division with a 34-16-4 record. They have won five of their last seven games. Stuart Skinner has started four of those games, winning two. He has a 20-12-4 record this season with a .902 save percentage.

Last season, Skinner helped lead the Oilers to the Stanley Cup Finals with a record of 36-16-5 and a .905 save percentage. It was his second career postseason and he held the team in crucial moments with a postseason record of 14-9-0 and a .901 save percentage.

On the other hand, backup goalie Calvin Pickard has also played well, posting a 14-4-0 record with a .901 save percentage. He has recently won seven straight games and started six of them.

Bowman added that the team believes in both goalies.

“So, I’m not sure where that comes from," Bowman said. "… We certainly believe in both of them, and we think they’ve been a big part of why our team has been so consistent over the last several months here.”

Gibson is signed to an eight-year, $51,200,000 contract with a $6,400,000 cap hit. His contract runs through the 2026-27 season. Despite his rumored interest, Edmonton appears satisfied with their current goalies.

Edmonton Oilers lost 5-4 to the Avalanche after both Skinner and Pickard failed to curb their rival

The Colorado Avalanche beat the Edmonton Oilers 5-4 at Rogers Place on Friday. Edmonton's main goalie Stuart Skinner failed to curb the Avalanche in the first period, allowing 3 goals on 12 shots. Later Pickard made 17 saves on 19 shots.

Nathan MacKinnon scored first on a power play at 9:48 of the first period, shooting through Stuart Skinner’s legs. Leon Draisaitl tied it 1-1 at 10:39 with a one-timer off a Ryan Nugent-Hopkins pass. Cale Makar made it 2-1 at 11:46 with a wrist shot past Skinner’s glove. Corey Perry tied it 2-2 at 12:22, scoring on his own rebound.

Artturi Lehkonen put Colorado up 3-2 at 18:08. Makar made it 4-2 shorthanded at 6:39 of the second. Perry cut it to 4-3 at 7:48, scoring off Samuel Girard’s skate. Draisaitl tied it 4-4 at 15:59. But Martin Necas scored the game-winner at 15:37 helping the Avalanche secure the win.