Former Vancouver Canucks Goaltender Likely Heading to Team's Biggest Rival Ahead of Next Season
Photo credit: USA TODAY Sports
A former Vancouver Canucks goaltender has been linked to the team's biggest rival in the Western Conference ahead of the 2025-26 season.
After yet another run to the Stanley Cup Final a little over a month ago, where they ultimately came up short, the Edmonton Oilers are scratching their heads on how they should proceed heading into the next campaign.
It's clear that the Edmonton Oilers will need some goaltending help at some point next season ahead as two Finals in a row Stuart Skinner hasn't been been able to delivery his 'A' game, leading to questions of how reliable he can be for the club as a starter.
While it may be hard for Edmonton's General Manager Stan Bowman to find a legit number one netminder before training camp or the regular season begins, there could be some interesting options on the waiver wire he could try to land to form a strong 1A/1B tandem, potentially even a former Vancouver Canuck.
Former Vancouver Canucks goaltender linked to the Edmonton Oilers
During an appearance on Oilersnation Everyday recently, National Hockey League insider Jeff Marek discussed the team's goaltending situation heading into the fall and wondered if a former Vancouver Canucks netminder could be of help to the team.
That former Vancouver Canucks goaltender happens to be Michael DiPietro, who recently re-signed with the Boston Bruins on a two-year contract worth $812,500 US annually.
Because the Boston Bruins have Jeremy Swayman and Joonas Korpisalo as their goaltending tandem, there's no room for him at the National Hockey League level and at some point in training camp in September, the team will need to place DiPietro on the waiver wire, leading to a very good possibility that he'll get claimed.
"They [Boston] have a bit of a Silovs situation right now and I'm surprised it's not getting more attention. But if I was an Edmonton Oilers fan, you know where I'd be looking right now? Boston and I'd be looking at a goaltender you know, my the name of Michael DiPietro, who many people wrote off during Covid because he was on the taxi squad and some say that is what really detoured his career. And it was true, he spent a lot of time not playing on that taxi squad for the Vancouver Canucks. Also, they rushed him early in that game against the San Jose Sharks, where he got completely lit up, just torched his confidence." Marek said.
He added, "But he needs waivers as well. He had an outstanding season last year for Providence and as the goalie market has, well, I don't want to say completely dried up in the NHL. It's tough to make an NHL trade right now. I would wonder about next year and the Boston Bruins and waivers, not unlike the Vancouver situation, where there was no way they were going to get Silovs down. I don't think the Bruins are getting DiPietro down. And if I'm the Edmonton Oilers, the minute I see Michael DiPietro on waivers, I'm putting in a claim."
He added, "But he needs waivers as well. He had an outstanding season last year for Providence and as the goalie market has, well, I don't want to say completely dried up in the NHL. It's tough to make an NHL trade right now. I would wonder about next year and the Boston Bruins and waivers, not unlike the Vancouver situation, where there was no way they were going to get Silovs down. I don't think the Bruins are getting DiPietro down. And if I'm the Edmonton Oilers, the minute I see Michael DiPietro on waivers, I'm putting in a claim."
As Marek mentioned, DiPietro was solid in the AHL for the Providence Bruins last season, appearing in 40 games where he had a record of 26-8-5 along with a 2.05 goals against average, a .927 save percentage and four shutouts, earning him the Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award as the league's best goaltender.
One issue holding the Edmonton Oilers back from being successful on landing Michael DiPietro off the wire in a couple of months is the National Hockey League's waiver order.
From the start of training camp until the middle of November, the NHL uses their previous season's standings in reverse to determine the waiver order, meaning Edmonton would need 22 other teams to pass on the Windsor, Ontario native for their claim to become successful, which seems quite thin.
If the Oilers do have interest in Michael DiPietro, perhaps we could see Stan Bowman discuss a potential trade with the Bruins at some point in training camp, with Edmonton having a couple of third round picks in 2028 to choose from to send the other way.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 22 | 1650 ANSWERS Former Vancouver Canucks Goaltender Likely Heading to Team's Biggest Rival Ahead of Next Season Do you think Michael DiPietro would be a good fit for the Edmonton Oilers? | ||
| Yes | 887 | 53.8 % |
| No | 763 | 46.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
