Once again the Florida Panthers have emerged victorious from a playoff battle, and once again their opponent are the ones left facing a lot of tough questions while they celebrate.
For old friend Brad Marchand it was a glorious run that gave him his second Stanley Cup, pretty much cinched his Hockey Hall of Fame credentials and provided him with a perfect reason to party at the Elbo Room like it was 2011 all over again.
Let's check in on Brad Marchand's IG: pic.twitter.com/ENuyONV0Ew
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) June 19, 2025
For the Edmonton Oilers, it was about coming up even shorter than they did last time against the domineering Panthers with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl looking like they were out of answers, and out of gas, by the end of the six game series. The frustration was palpable from McDavid in defeat as he did not have a bead on what a beaten down Oilers team could have done differently toward the end of a doomed series.
Connor McDavid didn’t mince words when criticizing the Oilers’ approach in the #StanleyCup Final. pic.twitter.com/AvLWfOJzXa
— JayOnSC (@JayOnSC) June 18, 2025
One thing seems clear, however: The Oilers have to do something about their goaltending situation if they hope for a different, better outcome with a hockey team boasting two of the best players in the world on their roster. The Oil had to change goalies mid-series, saw Calvin Pickard endure a so-so Game 5 after helping them win the previous game, and then saw Stuart Skinner really struggle in an elimination game.
The culmination was the muffin of a shot that somehow crossed him up and bumped off his shoulder for a juicy rebound at a time when his team badly needed a whistle. Instead, it turned into one of Sam Reinhart’s four goals and was the final nail in the Edmonton coffin from a goalie in Skinner that posted a meh .889 save percentage in the postseason.
Has to be caught!! https://t.co/WwOUWRElqR
— Stop It Goaltending (@StopItGoalies) June 18, 2025
Skinner’s .861 save percentage in the Stanley Cup Final was brutally bad, and Edmonton’s overall .888 save percentage in the postseason didn’t give them a chance to win against a Florida team that pounces on other teams’ weaknesses.
So that all brings us to the Boston Bruins and their goaltending situation as they continue to reshape their roster moving forward. Don Sweeney indicated that the B’s aren’t done being bold after dealing away big-name veterans Brad Marchand, Charlie Coyle, Brandon Carlo and Trent Frederic at the trade deadline, and that has to make anybody wonder if one of their goalies might in play in talks with the Edmonton Oilers. There are multiple reports out there that Edmonton inquired about Swayman last season, even after he signed his contract extension, which means the outside interest is there.
Sweeney called the Boston roster “an open canvas” and hinted that the team we see today may not be the Black and Gold group that suits up on NHL’s opening night.
“We went through the coaching search [for Marco Sturm] fully understanding that we were not the same team we had been previously, and what we're not going to be by the time the season opens,” said Don Sweeney. “The personnel side of it is a little more hypothetical. You're talking about potentially younger players, where a coach might see them. They're not familiar with those players. We're not overselling. We are leaving it as an open canvas to have an open and honest dialog, to say these guys are part of a solution, but they may not be on your opening roster. You have to decide that.
“We've been an aggressive organization, whether or not you want to point out fault in regard to trying to win and accomplishing the ultimate goal. That's what we're here for. We will use the draft capital and try and improve our hockey club this year, moving forward in every capacity possible. It might be making the [first round] selection, but it won't mean that we aren't having conversations that says, ‘How do we improve our hockey club today and moving forward?’
There have been rumors of a massive deal being discussed between the Bruins and Islanders as we careen toward the NHL Draft in roughly a week, and that speaks to how open Boston is to conducting wide-ranging trade discussions right now.
"At the early part of the season, they made a serious inquiry to Boston about Jeremy Swayman." - @TheFourthPeriod
— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) June 17, 2025
Oilersnation Everyday Presented by @bostonpizza pic.twitter.com/1rzJvL0GNC
Both Skinner ($2.6 million) and Pickard ($1 million) are signed through the 2025-26 NHL season, but that’s it as far as contract commitments go with their current goaltending duo. It really feels like they need to invest more in their goalies with a team that otherwise feels like they are championship caliber right in the middle of the prime window for McDavid and Draisaitl.
Clearly the hot take talking heads around the Bruins would like Boston to ship Jeremy Swayman and his massive contract out to Edmonton, and that can’t be ruled out given that the no-trade language in his massive eight-year, $66-million contract hasn’t kicked in as of yet.
Swayman’s playoff reputation could also play into Edmonton's interest, given where they have now fallen short.
Jeremy Swayman in Game 1 vs TOR: 3.35 goals saved above expected in 5-1 Bruins win.
— Mike Kelly (@MikeKellyNHL) May 7, 2024
Game 1 vs FLA: 2.88 goals saved above expected in 5-1 Bruins win. They are the two best goaltending performances of the playoffs by that measure.
Swayman is in a league of his own right now. pic.twitter.com/gd8KFARh7B
It would be interesting to see what the Oilers could piece together in a Swayman deal, and if the B’s could get out from under the deal without being on the hook for any portion of the hefty contract. More likely are discussions around Joonas Korpisalo after the experienced netminder voiced a desire to play more than the 27 games he suited up for as Swayman’s overqualified understudy last season.
“You know, things always change, but at the end of the day you want to win, you know? Of course, I don't think there's any goalie in the league who's really comfortable playing 20 to 25 games,” said Korpisalo. “So I'm going to push for more games, for sure, and we'll see what happens. I'll do my best, and we’ll see.”
The likelihood is that Korpisalo will play more games next season, even if he remains in Boston, as the Bruins would ideally like to spread out the playing time a touch more evenly, and turn the goalie spot into a more competitive position between the two puck-stoppers. But the Bruins are also in a position where they’re going to lose a talented young goaltender in Michael DiPietro if he’s blocked by Swayman and Korpisalo at the NHL level, and we’re talking about a B’s goalie tandem that ranked 26th in the NHL with a 3.31 goals against average last season.
It also doesn’t hurt that the Oilers have a 21-year-old blue-chip center prospect in Matthew Savoie who would be a really interesting centerpiece for any deal with a Bruins team starved for a young top-6 pivot fitting that description.
The Oilers' goaltending duo was obviously a better tandem during the regular season last year, but they also very obviously played behind a much better team in front of them. The expectation is that Swayman is going to bounce back one year removed from an ugly training camp holdout, and having left behind a season where everything that could go wrong pretty much did for almost everybody in a Bruins uniform.
It’s obvious that the Oilers need a major upgrade in net for a team with legit Cup aspirations, and that kind of desperation can make a team do some pretty eyebrow-raising things with McDavid’s Cup clock ticking away. Maybe, just maybe, there’s a big-time deal waiting to be made between two teams that could make ideal trade partners heading into an NHL Draft weekend ready for some fireworks.