The Edmonton Oilers may be getting linked to Jordan Binnington, but they don’t sound like a team in a hurry to chase another goaltender.
That was the message from Elliotte Friedman on Monday’s 32 Thoughts podcast, where he pushed back on the idea that Edmonton is ready to make a move. Friedman said Binnington can rise to the moment in big international settings, pointing to the 4 Nations Face-Off and the Olympics, but he also made it clear the Oilers don’t have an urgent need in net right now.
The reason is simple: Edmonton likes where things stand. Tristan Jarry is playing well, Devon Levi has shown he can handle the job as an NHL starter, and Frederik Andersen is still working his way back from injury.
With that kind of setup, there’s no immediate pressure to go shopping for another goalie. Binnington could still come into play later in the season if the situation changes, but for now he’s not on the Oilers’ radar.
The same goes for Juusa Saros, another name Erik Johnson floated as a possible fit.
Meanwhile, in New Jersey, the Devils are catching heat for a very different decision.
The team chose to sit Connor Hellebuyck for Tuesday’s game against the Winnipeg Jets, and that move has sparked plenty of debate. General manager Sunny Mehta said in a statement that he was leaning on the numbers and believed playing Hellebuyck would reduce the team’s chances of winning. That explanation hasn’t satisfied everyone, especially with Hellebuyck saying he wanted to play against his former team.
The optics have only gotten messier because some are questioning why Jake Allen would get the start, given his struggles against Winnipeg. Others think the Devils and Hellebuyck are trying to avoid a scene with Jets fans who would have plenty to say.
There’s also a growing belief that this may have been driven by Hellebuyck himself, even though he’s publicly said he wants to play and that the situation is “out of his hands.” It’s turned into a much bigger talking point than anyone probably expected, and Hellebuyck is still scheduled to speak to the media Tuesday and explain his decision to request a trade.
In Calgary, the Flames are dealing with a more straightforward problem: they’ve lost Kevin Bahl for the rest of the season.
Bahl will have surgery for a ruptured Achilles tendon, a brutal blow for a defender who had been logging nearly 22 minutes a night. That leaves Craig Conroy with a real hole on the blue line, and TSN’s Darren Dreger said the Flames could look beyond the organization to patch it.
Dreger wrote: “Brutal injury that will hurt the Flames. If there’s a young Dman available, I expect Conroy might consider that, or a defenceman on a short-term contract, but they’re not interested in simply adding via trade to fill the void.”
That fits where Calgary is in its rebuild. A younger defenceman who could stick around would make more sense than bringing in a rental just to cover the gap. The Flames may have an internal answer, but if the depth chart starts to crack, Conroy could still be pushed into the trade market.
In Other News...
Devils Just Handed Riley Tufte A Chance Fans Have Waited On
An injury to Anthony Mantha opened the door for the Devils to make a move on November 9, and Riley Tufte was the one summoned from Utica. The call-up gives New Jersey a look at a big-bodied power forward who has shown he can bring some scoring touch, while also offering the kind of presence the bottom six has been built to absorb in Manthas absence.
Tufte is not arriving as a blank slate, either. He has already appeared in 28 NHL games and has spent much of his time in the AHL as a steady scorer and a leader, which is part of why this promotion matters beyond just filling a temporary roster spot. For a Devils team looking to keep its depth intact, the question now is how quickly Tufte can translate that lower-level production into the role the club has carved out for him. [Read more 🡒]
Devils Send A Clear Lineup Signal Before A Tough Winnipeg Test
With the Devils heading into a difficult matchup against the Winnipeg Jets, the club made a roster move that suggests it wants a little more depth and flexibility up front. New Jersey recalled forward Riley Tufte from its AHL affiliate ahead of the game, a call-up that comes at a time when the team is trying to keep its lineup sharp against a heavy opponent.
The move lands in a stretch where injuries are already forcing other teams to shuffle their rosters, with the Rangers losing defenseman Alberts Smits for several weeks and the Blue Jackets waiting on the timeline for Conor Garlands upper-body injury. For the Devils, the Tufte recall is less about the headlines elsewhere and more about what it says about how they plan to manage a demanding test in Winnipeg, where every available body can matter. [Read more 🡒]
Auston Matthews Sends A Frustrated Message After Devils Loss
The Devils 4-0 win over Toronto did more than add another result to the standings. It pushed the Maple Leafs deeper into an early-season slide, with the loss stretching their skid to three straight and leaving them at 8-9-2 after a stretch in which they have dropped five of six. With injuries already complicating the picture, captain Auston Matthews and head coach Jim Hiller both pointed to the same issue afterward: the group needs more accountability and a better collective effort.
For New Jersey, it was the kind of complete performance that can expose where an opponent is still searching for answers. For Toronto, the concern is less about one bad night than the larger trend, especially with the team already trying to manage absences and keep pace in the standings. Matthews frustration was clear, and the message coming out of the locker room was just as plain, even if the fix is still a moving target. [Read more 🡒]