The lone trip to Edmonton this season is complete for the Carolina Hurricanes after they defeated the Oilers in OT last night by a score of 3-2. Connor McDavid did his best to spoil the trip, but the Canes were able to prevail thanks to the play of Frederik Andersen in the crease. Despite great scoring to complete the comeback, the goaltending kept Carolina in the game early and often.
The Oilers are off to another terrible start to the season, like last season. Although last season's start was worse, they prevailed and overcame the start after a coaching change that took them all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals where they were defeated in 7 games by the Florida Panthers.
The problem in Edmonton has been the defensive side of the game for many years, especially since drafting McDavid first overall in the 2015 NHL Draft. Veteran blue liners have been brought to Alberta to solidify the defense, including Duncan Keith in 2022 before his retirement. Ultimately, the problem boiled down to the goalkeeper. More recently, veterans like Jack Campbell, Mike Smith, and Mikko Koskinen have been the bandaids to the problem. Stuart Skinner had a solid season last year and an even better performance in the playoffs.
The start to the season has been a struggle keeping pucks out of their net and Skinner is part of the issue with a 3.72 GAA and .866 save percentage. Last night showed the inconsistency of the Oiler's ability to keep a lead on home ice to the Canes.
Could Andersen have been showing off for a potential future suitor?
Andersen's 33-save performance stood out all evening and the exclamation point was when his play not only gave his team a chance to win but ultimately did win. The early portion of the game could have put the Canes far out of reach for any comeback campaign, especially with the speed and puck movement on the Oiler's man advantage.
The 35-year-old has two straight victories and has posted a solid 1.64 GAA with a .939 save percentage. Andersen finished last year's regular season on a hot streak that lasted through the first round of the playoffs against the New York Islanders. The New Rangers provided a different narrative for the 12-year veteran.
The Danish goalie is on the final year of his contract with Carolina, having a salary cap hit of $3.4 million this season. His injury concerns, combined with inconsistencies in the postseason may have him lower on the trade lists for other general managers, but he can be a diamond in the rough for a team as talented offensively as Edmonton.
It is early in this season and it remains to be seen where these teams will be in the standings come this winter. If the Canes fall out of the race or Pyotr Kochetkov solidifies himself as the top option in the crease for Rod Brind'Amour, Andersen could be made available for an affordable price and cap hit. The Oilers are all in this season after coming so close to winning the Stanley Cup and would be willing to part with draft assets to grab a difference maker in goal.
Andersen has a lifetime GAA of 2.46 in the playoffs and could bring some stability to a team that was winning shootouts in the spring of last season. The defensive system in Carolina does help its goaltenders but Andersen has enough skill to keep this Edmonton team in the games come the playoffs.
The Canes will be moving on from Andersen at some point in the near future and Kochetkov has shown enough promise to take over the full-time gig. At just 25 years old, Kochetkov has plenty of room for his game to taken to another level or more.
It is likely that Eric Tulsky and Oiler's general manager, Stan Bowman will be having conversations before the March 7th trade deadline.