The Goalie Situation

Let’s get one thing out of the way right now. Goaltending is a problem for the Edmonton Oilers. The team does not have a legit starter on the roster right now. That being said, goaltending is NOT the biggest problem and not the reason Edmonton is losing right now, that would be their terrible defense.

Now that we’ve established that, the Oilers goaltending situation is a bit of a mess. Devan Dubnyk collapsed under pressure this year, and struggled quite a bit to start the year. He was shipped to Nashville and is out of the picture. Ilya Bryzgalov doesn’t look like an answer, and will likely either be traded at the deadline or simply not re-signed in July.

Ben Scrivens, who was acquired last week, will get a chance to run with the job in Edmonton. I’m not sure we can tell, behind this defense, the kind of goalie Scrivens is, but I’m willing to bet he is part of the picture moving forward as the back-up. Yes, I’ll say he re-signs with the Oilers.

Will Scrivens be the starter? As I’ve said above, I don’t think so. From various media reports, it seems like the Oilers don’t think so either. The rumors have been flying, and the most common names? Cam Ward from Carolina via trade, and Jonas Hiller from Anaheim via free agency in July.

The Oilers seem to like Scrivens. Dallas Eakins coached him in the AHL with the Marlies, and they gave up an asset (3rd round pick) to get him. He’s a guy who looks like the perfect back-up goalie who can step up when needed. It’s the role I think he’ll end up playing in Edmonton to be honest. That’s not a knock on him either, that just seems to be the role he is best suited for.

The Oilers goalie situation won’t be taken care of until July. The team will likely, as I have said, bring back Scrivens to fill the back-up role, and I’d imagine they will let Ilya Bryzgalov walk as a free agent. He simply hasn’t been great in Edmonton, in fact he’s been a little below average. Certainly not all on him, but he certainly doesn’t look like a starter.

The Oilers, under Craig MacTavish, were at their best with a veteran goalie. Dwayne Roloson helped get MacT to the 2006 Stanley Cup finals, and helped MacT get teams that simply were not very good to the cusp of the playoffs. Roli was a major asset to this team, and the last real number one goalie Edmonton had.

The goalie situation boils down to this, Edmonton still needs a starter. The answer wasn’t Nikolai Khabibulin, wasn’t Devan Dubnyk, isn’t Ilya Bryzgalov, and probably won’t be Ben Scrivens. That’s just the reality of the situation right now. If Edmonton wants a legit number one, and all the signs say they do, they have to go get that goalie.

The Oilers were willing to pay a high price to get Corey Schneider out of Vancouver this past off-season, and were rumored to be involved in Sergei Bobrovsky talks as well. The team is willing to pay a hefty price for a goalie, and I think this summer is the year they finally go and get said player.

The Oilers seem to want a number one, and probably want a veteran number one at that. They are willing to pay the assets via trade, and one has to think they would be willing to pay the price via money if it came down to free agency.

Jonas Hiller, Jaroslav Halak, Ryan Miller, Cam Ward, Craig Anderson (watch this name), and possibly more will be in play this summer. I’d be willing to wager Edmonton comes out of the off-season with one of those names. Craig MacTavish understands the importance of a good goalie, and after going hunting last off-season and seeing the start of this year, he’ll be determined to fill this hole.

While it isn’t the biggest issue surrounding the Oilers right now, the goaltending situation will likely be addressed by the Oilers this summer. The Dubnyk and Scrivens trades were just the start of the solution to this situation. The next step? Adding a stater, and I suspect it comes in the summer. The second most important issue for Edmonton could be solved in the coming months. Let’s all hope it is.