Oilers linked to towering goaltender in potential blockbuster move

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David St-Jean
June 1, 2026  (1:49 PM)

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Photo credit: Taya Gray/The Desert Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Stan Bowman has a goaltending mess to fix in Edmonton, and the latest name floating around the rumor mill is a familiar one to anyone who watches the WHL.

Chris Johnston reported yesterday morning that Sebastian Cossa, the big, athletic Detroit prospect who spent three seasons with the Edmonton Oil Kings, is viewed as a potential trade target for the Oilers.

It's the kind of name that lands with a thud in a market that's been screaming for a long-term answer in the crease.

Edmonton finished the regular season 41-30-11 for 93 points, second in the Pacific. The forwards did their part. The goaltending did not.

Tristan Jarry posted a .882 save percentage across 33 games at a $5.375 million cap hit. Connor Ingram sat at .898 in 32 starts. Calvin Pickard finished at .870 in 16 appearances.

That's three goalies, one tough number to look at, and a team that gave up 269 goals while scoring 282. Razor thin.

Yzerman has John Gibson signed at $6.4 million through next season after a .902 year, and Cameron Talbot behind him. Detroit's depth chart got crowded fast.

Cossa is 22, drafted 15th overall in 2021, and the Oil Kings connection is a clean storyline for a fan base that watched him stop pucks downtown for three years.

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But there's the other side of this. Detroit has spent half a decade building toward something, and moving a young goalie of Cossa's pedigree is the kind of trade that gets second-guessed for years if it goes sideways.

What would Edmonton even give up? A roster forward? A prospect package? A pick? Bowman doesn't have a deep cupboard to raid, and the Oilers' cap sheet is already a Tetris puzzle stacked too high.

The team finished 14th overall and watched the goaltending slip game after game. Detroit beat them 4-2 back in October before Edmonton flipped the script with a 4-1 win in December.

This rumor isn't going to die quietly. Goalie controversies never do in this market, and a hometown angle with a top prospect makes it louder.

If Bowman doesn't address the crease this summer, the same conversation lands on his desk in January. Only by then it costs more.

Previously

Patrik Laine goes against Kent Hughes and delivers an unexpected message about the Canadiens

Ivan Demidov gives bold answer on Canadiens future after ugly playoff exit against Hurricanes

Chicago Blackhawks trade away one of their most prized possesions to a Stanley Cup powerhouse

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1 HOUR AGO   |   116 ANSWERS Oilers linked to towering goaltender in potential blockbuster move Should the Oilers trade real assets to land Sebastian Cossa from Detroit?

▢    Yes

▢    No

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