The Edmonton Oilers are off and running this deadline season. Following a well played but disappointing 3-1 loss to Carolina, the Oilers sent goaltender Cam Talbot to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for G Anthony Stolarz.
The Oilers did not retain any salary in the deal and will now have enough money to activate D Andrej Sekera from LTIR early next week. The move comes after more than a year of speculation that Talbot could move.
The Oilers were not re-signing Talbot and are invested in Mikko Koskinen as their starting goalie moving forward. Getting something for Talbot is tough to handle because of the good times with him as the goalie, but overall this was the smart move for Keith Gretzky.
Stolarz is 6-4-4 in 14 career NHL starts (19 appearances) with a .911 SV% and a 2.86 GAA. This season, Stolarz is 4-3-3 with a .902 SV% and 3.33 GAA. He struggled to start, but has been much better as of late. Stolarz has dealt with injuries in his career, but has been healthy in each of the last two seasons as he emerges as an NHL backup. He’s slated to be an RFA this summer.
Here’s a look at Stolarz’s scouting report from the Sports Forecaster.
Has a huge frame (he covers a lot of net) and plenty of presence when he’s in the crease area. Plays with loads of confidence, including in terms of handling the puck. Has a tendency to let bad goals affect him a little too much, so he needs to continue to work on the mental side of the game. Must generally work on his consistency.
2016-17 will always hold a special place in my heart. The Oilers, backstopped by Talbot, returned to the playoffs and captured the heart of fans everywhere. I can’t thank him enough for that and I wish him the best of luck with the Flyers.
More to come as it happens.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
