This in from NHL insider Frank Seravalli, news of his interview with Edmonton Oilers GM Stan Bowman that the Oilers will NOT be acquiring a goalie at the NHL trade deadline, as well as the team having continued questions about when or if forward Evander Kane will be available to play.On The Daily Faceoff podcast, Seravalli said there’s not much the Oilers can do about their goalie situation and “they’ve got to figure out this situation with Evander Kane.”
When he talked to Bowman last Friday, Seravalli said, “He said point blank, ‘Don’t need to add a goalie.’ And beyond that, they’re they’re hoping they can get an answer on Evander Kane’s health by March 1st to be able to make the correct decisions or appropriate decisions by next Friday (March 7 trade deadline).”
On Oilers Now with Bob Stauffer, Seravalli expanded on his comments on the goalie situation. “I think people are expecting that because the Oilers lost two games (over the weekend) that season-long questions about the foundation of the team will change based on the results of one weekend. And I just, I don’t think that makes sense or is fair… I’m just going to say, ‘Come on.’ I’m looking big picture here, and that’s, I think, what Dan Bowman’s job is to always look big picture.”
The biggest issue for the Oilers is their penchant to take their foot off the gas more than any personnel issue, Seravalli said.
Later he told Stauffer that the Oilers hope to have the Evander Kane availability issue answered by March 1.
“And that’s going to tell the story of what they’re able to accomplish because I think they’re walking on pins and needles, or walking on eggshells, I should say, about how much they can possibly bite off given the LTIR situation. It’s been a lengthy and long road of recovery with multiple different … surgeries for a Evander Kane. And I think people in the fan base have sort of provided the like, ‘W ink wink, oh yeah, of course, there’s a chance he could come back, wink wink. But really he’s going on LTIR, isn’t that right?’ And I’m like, no, that’s not the truth. The truth is the Oilers, they don’t feel very comfortable about this situation one way or the other. And in the end, what it really might come down to is the Oilers don’t have that LTIR money to spend and they could only really make one acquisition.”
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