Change in net addressed by the Edmonton Oilers via trade: Major acquisition looms could change things

Samuel Montembeault has entered Edmonton's goalie picture, giving Mike Babcock another major crease question before training camp.

The Oilers are being linked to the Montreal Canadiens netminder, with Edmonton reportedly having already checked on his availability. The connection has surfaced more than once, making this more than a random late-summer proposal.

For Edmonton, the attraction is obvious. The club has spent the offseason looking for more certainty in net, and another established option would immediately change how Babcock approaches his tandem.

Tristan Jarry has been viewed as the early favorite for the No. 1 assignment, but adding Montembeault would create genuine competition instead of handing one goalie control of the crease.

That matters after Edmonton finished last season 41-30-11 with 93 points. The Oilers scored 282 goals but allowed 269, leaving little room for instability behind a roster expected to contend.

Stan Bowman has already reshaped parts of the organization, and the general manager now has another decision staring directly at him before camp opens.

Samuel Montembeault could change Edmonton's plan

Montreal also has a reason to listen. Its goalie situation has become crowded, and moving Montembeault could create a cleaner path for the other options competing for starts.

That gives the Oilers something they need in trade talks: a potential partner with its own roster motivation. Edmonton wouldn't simply be trying to pry away a goalie Montreal has no reason to move.

The bigger consequence would fall on Jarry. A Montembeault acquisition would turn an apparent path toward opening-night starter duties into a battle that could run through the preseason.

Babcock would then have choices on back-to-backs, difficult road trips and stretches where one goalie gets hot. That flexibility can matter quickly when the schedule tightens.

There is no indication that a deal is close, and the reported connection has not reached the point where a trade should be treated as expected.

But Edmonton checking the market this close to training camp sends its own message. Bowman doesn't appear ready to accept the current setup without exploring another move.

If Montembeault becomes available at the right price, the Oilers could enter camp with a completely different crease - and Babcock's first major goalie decision would suddenly get much tougher.

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