Oilers' Poor Goaltending Management

[GSummy35]

I find it disturbing how the Oilers re-signed Deslauriers and signed Gerber during a time when Turco, Niemi, and Theodore were still available. While goaltending may not be a surefire way to make playoffs, it is a way to make sure you never get there. Deslauriers was far and away the worst goaltender in the league last year. He lead the league in losses and had a horrific GAA and SV%. The key to winning is not only scoring goals, but stopping shots. It doesn't matter how good your forwards are at putting the puck in the net if your goaltender is less than capable of stopping shots. Look at the two teams in the Cup Finals last year, both had great offense and a capable goaltender. Niemi and Leighton are by no means "great" goaltenders, they are solid and capable, yet they got to the Cup finals. Gerber is coming off a terrible injury, Deslauriers is coming off an embarrassing season, and the rest of the Oiler goaltending staff is less than mediocre for the NHL. The management in Edmonton should have looked at their cap space (which is huge still), and found out a way to sign a solid goaltender. Build the team up from back to front to make sure your scoring lines have the backup they need.


Just a rant from a frustrated goaltender. Haha.

[Brett]

Good thoughts. To be honest I still am learning about the Oilers org since I am lifetime North Stars/Wild fan - but that does strike me as odd...

Granted, Turco can be inconsistent at times and the same with Neimi - but those guys are much better than what the Oilers have now!

[GSummy35]

Thanks. As a Canuck fan I'm still learning the Oilers organization as well. I'm working on a goalie specific blog that I'll be keeping up this season, and when that information crossed my desk I was floored. It happened a little while ago, but I just got around to posting something about it.

[Brett]

Canucks look pretty solid this year. I think the Wild are going to have a rough year. Really surprised they didn't do more on the free agency market.

Their goaltending will be the strong point but everything else... ick.

[Duane]

I can't believe no one snapped up Nabakov. It's not totally his fault the Sharks continuously get nowhere in the post season. I'm interested to see how Turco does in a new city with a better defense in front of him.

[GSummy35]

I have to disagree. Nabby is routinely a horrific playoff goaltender. He is a solid/capable backup, nothing more. The Sharks have a great core of backup goaltenders, but no one who is consistently good enough to take a number 1 position and get them deep into the playoffs.

[El Gato Pollo Loco!!!]

A couple of points.

One, I believe the Oilers still have Nikolai Khabibulin on the books at a fairly steep price.

Two, it's not that Deslauriers was that bad last year as much as it was the whole team wasn't very good. The Oilers have a pretty weak defensive corps in front of net.

Lastly, the Oilers are trying to save as much money as they can. All those goalies that were on the market would have cost much more than the Oilers were willing to spend and they have much more pressing needs on the big club. Gerber was the cheapest option to fill some space, but I do agree that they probably shouldn't have signed him.

[GSummy35]

Regardless of how much they have Khabibulin on the books for, they still lack sufficient goaltending. And Turco was cheap (1mil/1year).

Poor defense is not a pass for poor goaltending performance. Look at Luongo in Florida. His defense was questionable at best, yet he pulled out a .913 SV% and well under 2.6 GAA. As a goaltender you know you are the last person that puck has to pass before it goes in the net. If your defense is weak, you train and practice to accommodate. Had Luongo been behind a good defensive core in Florida he probably wouldn't have become an elite goaltender in the NHL.

You also have to look at the HUGE liability on Khabibulin's part. Should the DUI case in AZ render him unable to perfect his contract with the Oilers, they are relieved of that financial obligation, this clearing up loads of cap space.

Bottom line is, signing Gerber and re-signing Deslauriers was a mistake. Both are liabilities when it comes to close games or injuries. The last thing the Oilers need is another liability behind Taylor Hall.