The Edmonton Oilers addressed a weakness this off-season by trading three draft picks to the New York Rangers in exchange for Cam Talbot. To the surprise of no one, Talbot is slated to be the team’s starting goalie when the season opens up on October 8th.
After Talbot, Edmonton has a number of options. Young prospect Laurent Brossoit is slated to start for the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors, while young Eetu Laurikainen is either slated to backup Brossoit or start for the ECHL’s Norfolk Admirals.
That leaves two players to compete for the backup spot behind Talbot. Believe it or not, this is actually going to be one of the better battles in camp next month.
The Candidates:
Ben Scrivens, prior to last season, was a goalie trending in the right direction. He posted solid numbers in both the ECHL and AHL for years, then had solid stints in Toronto and Los Angeles before ending up in Edmonton in January of 2014.
In 21 post trade games, Scrivens posted a solid .916 SV%. If he did that last season, Edmonton likely doesn’t finish 28th in the NHL and surely doesn’t trade for Talbot at the draft.
This past season, Scrivens had the worst season of his career, posting a .890 SV% in 57 appearances. His numbers made him one of the worst goalies in the NHL last season, it was a terrible year.
That said, there is no way that Ben Scrivens is that bad of a goalie, and I’d wager that he returns to form this coming season.
Anders Nilsson was acquired in early July from Chicago for prospect Liam Coughlin. Just hours after the deal, Nilsson signed a one-year contract worth $1 million.
Nilsson was terrific in the KHL last year, posting a .933 SV% in 38 games. That said, his prior stint in North America was not good. In his final year, 2013-14, Nilsson posted a .901 SV% in 29 AHL games and a .896 mark in 19 NHL tilts with the Islanders. It was not good.
One thing that is for sure? Both of these goalies are desperate. Both of these guys want to be in the NHL and both know this could be their last chance to do so. Both are on one year deals and could be long gone by this time next year.
The motivation will most certainly be there.
Who Is The Favorite:
I think a lot of people are labeling Ben Scrivens as the run away here, but I’m not so sure. Scrivens was terrible for the Oilers last season, and while he likely will be better, there is no guarantee that he does bounce back. Personally, I think he will, but you can’t write it in stone.
Nilsson is coming off of a great season in the KHL and will be hungry to prove to Peter Chiarelli that he was right to trade for him.
Remember, rumor at the start of the summer was that some in Oiler organization had soured on Scrivens after that tough season.
The Final Results of The Battle:
In the end, I do think that Ben Scrivens will win this job. Let’s face it, before last season, Scrivens was a solid option for NHL employment. Yes, he was bad last season, but history tells us that he will work his way back towards his career averages this time around.
On top of that, and the fact that Scrivens will be highly motivated, he should also benefit from a better defense and a better system being used by the hockey team. A lesser workload should be good for Scrivens too.
I think Nilsson gets placed on waivers in camp, meaning three things could happen. He could get claimed, could get sent to Bakersfield to backup for Brossoit, or he could end up getting loaned out to Europe.
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