Another star goalie becomes available to Edmonton Oilers in trade

Vejmelka has previously been identified as a top trade target for the Oilers if he becomes available, as he could be a reasonably priced player that makes the Oilers better.

The Oilers have previously been linked to star goalie John Gibson, but Karel Vejmelka may be a more realistic acquisition for Edmonton.

Starting goaltender Karel Vejmelka may be available for trade to the Edmonton Oilers

The 28 year old Czech goaltender has played 174 career NHL games since coming to North America in 2021, and has been a quality goalie for most of his career.

This season Vejmelka is coming into his own in a full starter role on an improving Utah team. In 34 games this season, Vejmelka has a .909 save percentage - 11 points higher than Stuart Skinner.

According to MoneyPuck, Karel Vejmelka ranks as the 16th best goalie in the NHL at 10.5 goals saved above expected. Stuart Skinner ranks 70th with -2.9 GSAx, and Pickard is even further behind him.

He's in the final year of his contract for $2.725M, which is a very affordable price tag this year, but will be commanding a big raise in salary next year. The Canucks just signed Kevin Lankinen, a similar goalie with slight better career numbers, to a contract for 5 years at $4.5M.

Oilers should trade for Vejmelka, even as a rental acquisition

According to previous reports, Vejmelka may not be that expensive to acquire. Similar goalies have gone for just a mid-round draft pick in trade, so Vejmelka could plausibly go for less than a first round pick.

It may be tough for the Oilers to find a way to re-sign Vejmelka if they trade for him, but still, it gives them a high end starting goalie for a critical playoff run this season - a solid tandem option for Skinner. He'd be worth it purely as a rental.

Goaltending is clearly the Oilers biggest weakness on their roster this season, as it has been for far too many years.

In the 10th year of McDavid's career, the Oilers should not be entering the playoffs with below average goaltending again. Vejmelka would be a great target to improve their crease.