EDMONTON – The Edmonton Oilers' need for goaltending help is one of the worst-kept secrets in hockey.
Just because they can add a goaltender to their team doesn’t mean that it’s a guarantee. Many hockey pundits around the league thought the Oilers would address their goalie situation during the regular season. Yet, they went through their latest playoff run with Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard again.
Bookmark The Hockey News Edmonton Oilers team site to never miss the latest news, game-day coverage, and more.
Carter Hart was recently acquitted of criminal charges concerning the 2018 Hockey Canada group sexual assault case. Despite not being found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, the NHL has deemed the actions of the five players as “very disturbing” and “unacceptable.”
There are multiple goaltenders out there – via trade or free agency – that would be a better gamble for the Oilers than Hart.
Trending Oilers Stories
Oilers Don't Need Another New Forward Right NowEDMONTON – Sometimes, you can have too many cooks in the kitchen.
Oilers Eyeing Trade for Former Oil Kings Goaltender?
Oilers Spunky Defender Has Earned New Deal
Oilers' Kris Knoblauch On Biggest Area To Get Better
3 Oilers Goalie Targets That Don't Make Them Better
Oilers Complete 2025 Offseason Guide: Trades, Signings, & MoreEDMONTON – The offseason is in full swing.
How Good Is Carter Hart?
For this article, we will examine Goals Saved Above Expected (GSAx) as the metric to measure these players against one another. Hart’s GSAx over his last three seasons are as follows:
2023-24: -0.7 (26 GP)
2022-23: 10.3 (55 GP)
2021-22: -6.6 (45 GP)
Adding these together gives us a positive 1.0 GSAx over three seasons. Here are a few names that hit that mark or exceed it.
Ilya Samsonov
The only goalie on this list who doesn’t exceed Hart’s benchmark is former Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Ilya Samsonov. In 29 games with the Oilers’ Pacific Division rival, the 28-year-old recorded a 0.6 GSAx.
While this mark is better than Skinner and Pickard (-1.5 & -9.1 respectively), it’s not better than Hart. However, Samsonov is no stranger to being in a goalie tandem and could be signed to an inexpensive contract.
Casey DeSmith
While the Dallas Stars are going through their salary issues, their backup goaltender had a great season in 2024-25. Through 27 games played, Casey DeSmith recorded a whopping 15.9 GSAx.
He arguably had the best season of his career, which makes the possibility of him departing the organization less likely. He could be a better backup for Skinner than what Pickard provides the team on the ice.
Scott Wedgewood
In a similar vein to DeSmith, the Colorado Avalanche’s backup, Scott Wedgewood, had a solid season. Wedgewood played 24 games and earned a respectable 3.2 GSAx.
It’s tough to envision the Avalanche departing with Wedgewood, unless they could make up for his loss via free agency (see Samsonov) or take a swing at Hart (if and when he becomes re-eligible to play in the NHL).
Arvid Soderblom
The Chicago Blackhawks and Arvid Soderblom settled on a new contract before their arbitration hearing. For good reason too, because Soderblom had a solid year for the team.
Soderblom recorded a 1.0 GSAx through 36 games played while playing for the basement-dwelling Blackhawks. Despite settling with the Blackhawks before their arbitration date, would a change of scenery still be plausible? A player settling with a team before an arbitration hearing does not equal loyalty, for either the player or the team. Ty Emberson was traded to the Oilers after signing a contract before his arbitration date with the San Jose Sharks.
While none of these goaltenders are Ilya Sorokin or Jeremy Swayman, each one presents a solid case to be an excellent backup for Skinner. They are also better options to bring aboard the Oilers than Hart.