Looking back on it, the Edmonton Oilers were so close.

That it is, until they traded it away.

Jesper Wallstedt made 33 saves Tuesday night. He stopped every shot the Oilers threw at him. He earned his fourth shutout in 10 games. He improved to 8-0-2 with a .938 save percentage and 1.93 goals-against average. He beat Edmonton 1-0 in their own building.

And of course, everyone in Oil Country is thinking the same thing: he could have been ours.

Should fans and media fixate on this? Probably not. It was a different general manager—Ken Holland, not Stan Bowman—who made the call in 2021 to trade the 20th pick to Minnesota for the 22nd and 90th picks. It’s not fair to hang current management for decisions made by the previous regime.

But this is Edmonton. One of the best markets in the NHL with ongoing goaltending issues that have defined the better part of two decades. Of course it’s going to come up. Of course watching Wallstedt dominate is going to sting.

“I’ve heard about it way too much. I’m drafted by Minnesota. I play here. I love it here,” Wallstedt said, addressing the noise around the draft decision.

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He’s right to brush it off. He’s a Minnesota Wild. He’s thriving there. The what-ifs aren’t his problem—they’re Edmonton’s.

But what a reminder Tuesday night was of what the Oilers passed on. Wallstedt was named NHL rookie of the month for November earlier in the day, posting a 6-0-0 record with a 1.14 GAA, .967 save percentage, and three shutouts in six games. Then he went out and shut down McDavid, Draisaitl, and company.

But way back when, Wallstedt was drafted 20th overall in 2021 after Edmonton traded the selection to Minnesota and dropped two spots for Xavier Bourgault, who was later traded to Ottawa and is now playing in the AHL for the Belleville Senators. With the 90th pick, Edmonton drafted defenseman Luca Munzenberger, who they declined to sign and has since returned to Germany.

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Neither player is in the organization anymore. Wallstedt is leading the NHL in save percentage and shutouts.

Still, in 2021, the Oilers had goaltending prospects—Stuart Skinner, Olivier Rodrigue, and Ilya Konovalov. The thinking was that forwards develop faster than goalies, and Wallstedt would take years to arrive. Why wait when you could add offence now?

Konovalov played just 17 games in North America before returning to Russia. Rodrigue joined him in the KHL this offseason. That leaves Skinner and his .885 save percentage this season.

Meanwhile, Wallstedt is 23 years old, on an entry-level contract, and looks like a franchise goaltender.

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“I have mixed memories about Edmonton,” Wallstedt said. “Our first World Juniors was the bubble, and I didn’t play much. And second, we were in Red Deer, and that got canceled, and then we had a pretty good last one and got a bronze medal. So, mixed feelings, but this definitely helped a little bit.”

Beating the Oilers probably did help, even if he's since long forgotten about the draft.

“He’s played in different situations and against different teams, first time going through it,” began Minnesota head coach John Hynes. “(He’s got) the demeanour that you want, even though he’s young.

"He’s confident in his abilities and his preparation. And I think he believes in how he’s playing, and that’s what you need. Both guys want the net, which is good for us. But him being a young guy, that (brings) a little bit of that personality, swagger and mindset that you need to be a good goalie in this league.”

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Wallstedt stopped Zach Hyman on a backhand in the second period. He denied Draisaitl on a 3-on-2. McDavid didn’t register his first shot until 6:43 left in the game, and Wallstedt stopped that, too. Every chance, every shot, every opportunity—Wallstedt was there.

The Wild have won 12 of their last 16 games against the Oilers, and Wallstedt is a big reason why Minnesota looks like they’ll continue this trend for years to come.

The frustrating part for Edmonton isn’t just that Wallstedt is good. It’s that he’s exactly what they need. Young, cost-controlled, confident, and capable of stealing games. The kind of goaltender great teams are built around. The kind of player you don’t pass on when he falls into your lap.

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But they did. And now he’s beating them in their own building while their goaltending situation remains the biggest question mark.

Should this decision in 2021 define the Oilers now? No. Should fans spend every day lamenting a decision made by the previous GM? Probably not. But when your goaltending is .860 through 25 games—the lowest since the team’s first NHL season in 1979-80—and the guy you passed on is shutting you out at home, it’s hard not to think about what could have been.

Wallstedt is a Minnesota Wild. He loves it there. He’s building something special. Good for him. Good for Minnesota for recognizing the opportunity and seizing it.

But for Edmonton, Tuesday night was a painful reminder that sometimes the player you don’t draft haunts you more than the ones you do. And in a city desperate for goaltending, that’s going to sting for a long time.

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