Solving Oilers Goalies Woes

It's no secret that Edmonton easily has possibly the worst goalie combos in the NHL, and that changes need to be made this offseason if we expect to compete in the future. Here are two goalies that will give the Oilers the strongest goaltending they've had in over a decade:

Karri Lehtonen (DAL), backed up by Matt O'Connor (Boston University)

Why the Oilers should Pursue them?

Lehtonen: The Dallas Stars have been becoming disgruntled with weak goals and the at times inconsistent play of Karri Lehtotonen and may be lookimg for someone different inbetween the pipes this season. However, Lehtonen is a flashy goalie that can steal games at times, and puts up good numbers. Which is exactly what this current Oilers roster needs. He is also a proven starter which we have been looking to aquire for as long as I can remember.

O'Connor: A goalie like Karri Lehtonen needs a steady backup, and Boston University goalie  Matt O'Connor is only 2-3 seasons away from becoming a solid NHL regular and would be a perfect backup for next season. He put up unbelievable numbers in college. If he's not quite ready for NHL competion Richard Bachman could backup also, and O'Connor could come up whenever there is an injury.

What would it take to get them?

Lehtonen: A possible trade proposal to Dallas that may work although it would take some guts for Mactavish to go through with could be: Eberle or Yakupov for Karri Lehtonen, Jamie Oleksiak ( 6'7 241 pound defencemen drafted 14th overall in 2011), and either a conditional 2nd round pick or a depth roster player. Other otions could include a high end prospect and and Fasth plus 3rd rounder for just Lehtonen.

O'Connor: as much cash as we can give him and a boatland of promises.

What would hold them back?

Lehtonen: The Stars would only deal Lehtonen if they had someone to replace him, and the Oilers don't have anyone that would do that. So we have to hope they pursure other options like signing Niemi or trading for someone else. It is also unknown if Dallas would be willing to ship his talents to a conference rival.

O'Connor: The only thing that would stop us from signing O'Connor would be the amount of teams interested in his services. His agent has stated that O'Connor would like to recieve imediate playing time. The Oilers and Sabres are considered the frontrunners in the Boston University goalie sweepstakes, since they are a few of the only teams that currently have room for him on their rosters.

Other available options:

Antti Niemi (FA): The far from flashy goaltender is arguably the best available goaltender on the market this offseason, in contention with Devan Dubnyk (I'm sorry). He could offer consistent play and good numbers if we provide him with a better defensive roster than what we have now.

Karri Ramo (FA): Put up great numbers this season in Calgary and proved he can win games at the NHL level, him and Niemi would provide a solid goaltending pair.

Mike Smith (Trade): It's unknown if Arizona will be open to trading him but they may be looking to move him for key prospects and picks to start their rebuild. The coyotes have a couple of very good goalie prospects in their system. Some of you may remember Mark Visentin from Team Canada's IIHF World Junior team a few years ago. If we made some significant upgrades to our defence core, and Smith finds his groove, he could help us reach the success we have been looking to achieve for some time now.

Cam Ward (Trade): similiar situation as Smith except it is clear that Carolina is open to trading Ward. A little confidence boost and a change of scenery along with an upgraded Oilers defence core could help bring back a Cam Ward all us Oilers fans remember too well from 2OO6.

Cam Talbot (FA): The rangers backup put up absolutley unbelievable numbers when coming in for the injured Lundqvist. However this was during a short amount of time so I wouldn't  go any farther than backup position for him. Hopefully with time he could turn into a consintent NHL starter for a long time to come.