The NHL trade deadline is almost two months away, but rumors are slowly — emphasis on slowly — starting to swirl around teams that might need to get a head start before March 21.
One of those teams is the Edmonton Oilers, who have spiraled out of the playoff picture. They started the season with a 16-5-0 record but have since gone just 2-10-2.
Goaltending, in particular, has been arguably their biggest weakness, especially with Mike Smith sidelined. Since Dec. 3, the Oilers have the second-worst team save percentage at .870. Just not good enough.
You could also look at the Colorado Avalanche as somebody that might be interested in strengthening their goaltending tandem sooner than later. They traded for Darcy Kuemper over the offseason but he has a -1.01 goals saved above average this season, per Natural Stat Truck, and the Avalanche rank 24th in team save percentage at .899. It's the only Achilles' heel for a club with Stanley Cup aspirations.
