New-Look Oilers – Part Three

The Edmonton Oilers made some subtle changes to their front office and some big changes to their coaching staff this summer, but those weren’t the only moves the team made. Edmonton made some big-time changes to the roster and the overall organizational depth-chart. The Goaltending position was not at the forefront this summer, but has changed a lot in one year.

The NHL Level:

A year ago, we were looking at Devan Dubnyk being the surefire starter and Jason Labarbera the solid backup. Dubnyk imploded in the first few months of the season and was traded by January, while Labarbera was trade by mid-December after a relatively lackluster stint with the big-club. Oh, and Ilya Bryzgalov showed up for a few months too before getting dealt.

The Oilers moved a third round pick in January to acquire Ben Scrivens from Los Angeles, and later moved a fifth and a third round pick to snag Viktor Fasth from Anaheim. This gave Edmonton two guys with the potential to be a number one goalie in the NHL, and two guys who had played well during their NHL careers, although in admittedly short sample sizes.

Scrivens was a Godsend for the team, playing unreal hockey following his debut in Edmonton. He posted a solid .916 SV% playing behind a horrible defense, and he kept the Oilers in the game most nights.

He’s got a career SV% of about .917, so he’s around an average NHL goalie. Even with average goaltending the Oilers season last year likely is much better from the start, and the early death march probably does not happen.

Scrivens, especially for a third round pick, is a total steal for the Oilers, and gives the team a legit option in the number one spot.

Fasth will be solid competition for Scrivens, and he too will be gunning for the number one job. He’s got potential to jump up and take it, just as he did during the 2013 season in Anaheim where he posted a .921 SV% and won 15 of his 25 starts.

This year he only posted a .914 SV % with Edmonton, but looked good in most of his starts and was coming off of an injury. He’ll be healthy this year, and is likely a good bet for a back-up goalie. He’s got some potential too, and could give Scrivens a good run.

No matter what way you look at it, Edmonton is better in goal, and we saw that with this duo from the trade deadline on this past season.

The AHL:

This is where the change started to happen this off-season. Richard Bachman, the starter last year for the Barons, was re-signed to a one-year contract and will be back once again for Todd Nelson’s team. He posted a decent .908 SV% at the AHL level, and was over .910 at the NHL level in three games.

Bachman gave the Barons a solid veteran presence in net each night, and helped a young team have a chance to win every single night. He’s a smaller goalie, but he’s got some potential and has shown well at the NHL-level when given the chance. He’ll be a good bet to start all year for the Barons, and likely see some call-up time with the big club. He should help with the development on the farm as well.

Goalie Laurent Brossoit joined the Oilers last fall following the shocking trade that sent Ladislav Smid to Calgary. LB went to the ECHL, and became a superstar in Bakersfield, posting a .926 SV% and going 26-9-2 with the team and adding eight shut-outs.

While the ECHL is a step down from the AHL, it’s still a good league and he put up above average numbers. He’ll back-up in OKC this season, and need to continue showing improvement to stay ahead of the game here. He was less than impressive in the AHL last season, posting a .876 SV% in ten total appearances.

LB’s a bright young prospect however, and while I’m not sold he’s no doubt going to be an NHL’er, he has certainly proven he can handle the ECHL game. He’ll get the chance to take the next step this fall.

ECHL and Below:

Frans Tuohimaa, a 2011 draft pick, came over last spring and made his North American pro debut for the Barons, posting a .950 SV% in a one game stint that saw him pick-up a win right before the playoffs for the club. He’ll get his first full season here in the fall, and will likely take LB’s spot as the starter for the Condors. A good season would go a long way for him. He’s got a chance.

Tyler Bunz is on thin ice. A Steve Tambellini draft pick, Bunz has struggled, mainly playing at the ECHL level. He has fallen behind Brossoit and likely Tuohimaa, who he will odds are backup this coming season. If I was a betting man, I’d say Bunz is done with the team after the season, but he’s a pretty good bet as an ECHL backup.

Ty Rimmer, who impressed in rookie camp last September, bounced around a lot last year and found a home in the Central league. He’s got an AHL contract this year, and likely ends up in the CHL once again. He’s an interesting case, and MacT really likes him. I wouldn’t be surprised if we keep seeing him rise up the depth chart.

Overview:

The Oilers will have a competition at the NHL level between Ben Scrivens and Viktor Fasth, two really solid bets. Both guys have shown some real potential in their short NHL career, and both looked good late last year in Edmonton. Richard Bachman is a very strong number three to have, while Laurent Brossoit is a good number four with some real potential moving forward.

Tuohimaa, Bunz and Rimmer are all long-shots, but they give the organization depth at the pro-level and a few prospects with potential.

Goaltending is not solved just yet in Edmonton, but GM Craig MacTavish has made some really solid bets at every level. He’s got options for the present, the future, and some insurance for both situations. That’s smart.

While the improvement came during the season (Fasth, Scrivens, Brossoit trades. Tuohimaa signing) and not the off-season, goaltending is vastly improved from where it was a year ago.

Not to mention, the team drafted a very solid prospect out of the University of Michigan in Zach Nagelvoort, who we should be paying attention to this winter in the NCAA.