The Edmonton Oilers have traded goalie Jason Labarbera to the Chicago Blackhawks this morning. In return, the Oilers get back future considerations from the defending Stanley Cup champs.
The deal makes sense on both sides, the Hawks are having some goaltending issues due to injury right now. Starter Corey Crawford is expected to miss a few weeks, and backup Nikolai Khabibulin is also on the mend. Third string Antti Raanta has been good for the Hawks, but the team badly needs a backup right now. Labarbera has had good stretches before, and should be fine for a team like the Hawks.
From Edmonton’s side of things, the Oilers simply did not have the room for the veteran. Ilya Bryzgalov is returning from the IR today and will need an NHL roster spot, as will Devan Dubnyk. Those two are fighting for a contract next year, and both are better than Labarbera. At the AHL level, the Oilers need development time for Richard Bachman and Laurent Brossoit.
Labarbera was signed on July 5th to be the Oilers backup goalie, but a tough start to the season from both he and Dubnyk changed those plans. Outside of his relief effort against Boston on Thursday and his last two periods against New Jersey back in October, Labarbera simply hasn’t been very good.
This gives the Oilers a little flexibility with their contract number too, which is what they need right now. It’s a minor deal, but it makes a lot of sense for both sides.
Stay tuned for more…
[adsanity id=1808 align=alignnone /]Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
