Craig Button rips Oilers' "abysmal" defense, floats $61,920,000 goaltender as "dream target"

NHL analyst Craig Button ripped the Edmonton Oilers’ abysmal defense and suggested the team should target a goalie like Juuse Saros.

The Oilers’ goaltending tandem has posted the league's worst save percentage. While Stuart Skinner has taken most of the blame for goals allowed, the team’s defensive structure is a major contributing factor.

However, the issues are collective, and the team’s overall defensive execution remains a recurring problem that creates difficult situations for Skinner.

Speaking on TSN while discussing which goalie the club should target, Craig Button acknowledged that acquiring an elite goalie like Juuse Saros is tempting, especially since Connor McDavid’s contract gives the team some future cap flexibility.

However, he stressed that the root problem lies in Edmonton’s defensive metrics:

"Conor McDavid has already given him the flexibility to go forward with a Juuse Saros contract, and that certainly is something that they have to keep in mind," Berube said. "But you could put Dominik Hašek in his prime in the Edmonton Oilers' net right now, and the defensive play of the Edmonton Oilers is so abysmal that they would still have significant problems.

He added:

"While everybody can talk about the goaltending and try to get a dream goaltender in there, and Juuse Saros is one of those guys that is a top-notch guy in my view. But the defensive play doesn't improve, nothing's going to really make a significant difference for their ultimate goal, which is competing for the Stanley Cup."

Saros, who's currently signed to an eight-year, $61.8 million contract, has posted a 6-9-3 record, with a 3.08 GAA and an .889 save percentage.

Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner opens up about fans' criticism

Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner recently shared his thoughts about the fans criticizing him for his lackluster performance.

Skinner once again was on top of fans' criticism after surrendering four goals on just eight shots during the Oilers' 8-3 loss to the Dallas Stars earlier this week.

"It's happened a lot here. No, I was there for that. I felt bad for him. I mean, that's happened a few times here," Skinner said. " It's I think it happens anywhere around the league. Goalies need to come up with big saves at big times. I'm not really too sure how much I can really say on that either. It's kind of just part of the game of being a goalie.

Skinner has posted an 8-7-3 record, with a 3.18 GAA and a .878 save percentage.