The Edmonton Oilers have yet to claim a player off the waiver wire this season, but that may change just under 24 hours from now. Why is that? There are two players with Oiler connections on the wire who may be able to help the club in areas of need.
Anton Khudobin and Matt Nieto were placed on waivers by the Bruins and Sharks respectively today, and both players may represent an upgrade over current Oilers.
Anton Khudobin:
The 30 year old netminder signed with the Boston Bruins for a second tour of duty this summer, inking a two year contract with the club. Khudobin’s first stint was fine, he went 9-4-1 with a 2.32 GAA and a .920 SV% during the 2012-13 lockout shortened season. Boston’s GM that season? Peter Chiarelli.
After that season, Khudobin signed with the Carolina Hurricanes and gave Cam Ward a run for his money, posting a .926 SV% in 36 games in 2013-14. 2014-15 wasn’t as kind, and represents the end of Khudobin as a useful NHL’er. That season, he posted a .900 SV% in 34 outings, leading to his trade to Anaheim that summer.
He played in only nine games with the Ducks last season, posting a .909 SV%, before being assigned to San Diego of the AHL, where he would spend the remainder of his season. He did post a .921 SV% in the AHL, starting 31 games for Gulls, but still he was out of the NHL because he was ineffective with the Ducks.
In Boston this season, he’s struggled mightily in going 1-5-1 with a .885 SV% and a 3.06 GAA. I’ve watched quite a few Bruin games this season, and it appears to me that Khudobin is no longer an NHL netminder. He’s struggled badly and has been killing the Bruins by allowing soft goals and terrible rebounds. He earned his spot on waivers.
Is Khudobin better than Jonas Gustavsson? You could make the case, Gustavsson has been terrible this season, but I don’t think it’s a clear yes. To me, adding Anton Khudobin doesn’t address the issue of backup goaltender. The Oilers should stay far away from this option, even if he did perform well for a Chiarelli team way back when.
Matt Nieto:
The San Jose Sharks waived speedy Matt Nieto today, and that move is of interest to me. Nieto has struggled under Peter DeBoer, posting only two assists and a -3 rating in 16 games this season, but there is a player here. The 24 year old left winger thrived under Todd McLellan in 2013-14, posting 10-14-24 in 66 games as a rookie.
Nieto also scored 10-17-27 in 72 games in 2014-15, proving again to be a solid bottom six forward under Todd McLellan. He has just 19 points since the coaching change in San Jose, signaling that he may simply just not be a fit for the new system.
Nieto’s Hockey News scouting report (here) calls him “very industrious” and grades him out as being a good skater. His hockey sense and two-way ability are praised by the publication, while his offensive ability is described as “decent”.
His flaws include being a small forward (5’11” and 190 pounds) and being far too inconsistent, which is quite apparent when you look at his year over year boxcars.
The way Nieto is described makes him look like a very solid bottom six forward, which is an area where the Oilers could use some help right now. With Matt Hendricks slow and inconsistent and Benoit Pouliot cratering his career, adding a younger guy like Nieto could prove to be a helpful addition. His previous success with McLellan helps a bit as well.
In the end, I’d pass on Anton Khudobin and claim Matt Nieto if I was Peter Chiarelli.
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