We’re two games from twenty on the season and the Edmonton Oilers are 9-8-1 on the season. They are just outside of the wildcard spot and a win out of the top-3 in the Pacific after their 6-2 dismantling of the Montreal Canadiens.
What is it about this team? Each time this season when I’ve thought that the season was about to be lost, the Oilers have come out and played incredibly well and re-invigorated hope. I mean, their record is what it is right? Can’t really complain about that. Could it be better? Sure, of course it could be; but after last season anything above .500 makes me feel pretty optimistic. A low bar, I know. That said, we’ve all got to start somewhere and little successes over time end up building into great ones.
Would you believe it if someone told you this summer that by mid-November the Oilers would have as many as or more points than the Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins, and St.Louis Blues?
The Oilers are slated to play Pacific division teams in seven of their next eight games and I’m encouraged by their recent record vs. teams within their own division. Check this out and tell me you don’t feel good about the Oilers possibly coming out of this next 7 game stretch sitting in a playoff spot.
Edmonton has gone 36-17-5 (.655) Vs Pacific over the last 2 seasons:
2016-17: 20-6-3
2017-18: 16-11-2
How many of those games do you think Mikko Koskinen starts?
Speaking of Mikko Koskinen, the $2.5M bet Peter Chiarelli laid down on him is looking pretty good right now eh?
I remember hearing during the summer that one of Koskinen’s strengths was his ability to go side to side and in a league where teams are constantly looking to get that pass across the “royal road” for a better chance at a goal, getting Koskinen under contract seems pretty smart.
What I wasn’t expecting was Koskinen’s ability to not let out a lot of rebounds.
Now if you want to have a good laugh, go into Twitter’s search box and type “Koskinen Chiarelli”. I wonder how many of those folks are feeling silly right now…
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As I said, we’re only 18 games into the season but Koskinen has really shown to me that he was the right man to sign this summer. I mean, look at these candidates and tell me which you’d have signed after last season and then look at their record from this season and tell me if you’d still sign that player?
Mikko Koskinen – 30 years old – (Signed with Edmonton for $2.5M)
2018/19 – 6GP 4W-1L 2.52 GAA/.918 SV%
2017/18 – 29GP 22W-4L-1OT 1.57 GAA .937 SV% (KHL)
Jonathan Bernier – 30 years old – (Signed with Detroit for $3M)
2018/19 – 6GP 2W-3L 3.93 GAA .891 SV%
2017/18 – 37GP 19W-13L-3OT 2.85 GAA .913 SV% (COL)
Jaroslav Halak – 33 years old – (Signed with Boston for $2.75M)
2018/19 – 11GP 6W-1L-2OT 1.77 GAA .945 SV%
2017/18 – 54GP 20W-26L-6OT 3.19 GAA .908 SV%
Michael Hutchinson – 28 years old – (Signed with Florida for $1.3M)
2018/19 – 4GP 1W-1L-2OT 4.18 GAA .839 SV% (FLA), 2GP 0W-1L-1OT 4.00 GAA .899 SV% (AHL)
2017/18 – 3GP 2W-1L 3.26 GAA .907 SV% (WPG), 26GP 17W-5L-1OT 2.08 GAA .935 SV% (AHL)
Carter Hutton – 32 years old – (Signed with Buffalo for $2.75M)
2018/19 – 14GP 7W-6L-1OT 2.64 GAA .916 SV%
2017/18 – 32GP 17W-7L-3OT 2.09 GAA .931 SV% (STL)
Chad Johnson – 32 years old – (Signed with St.Louis for 1.75M)
2018/19 – 6GP 2W-3L 2.08 GAA .927 SV%
2017/18 – 36GP 10W-16L-3OT 3.55 GAA .891 SV% (BUF)
Anton Khudobin – 32 years old – (Signed with Dallas for 2.5M)
2018/19 – 6GP 3W-2L-1OT 2.32 GAA .926 SV%
2017/18 – 31GP 16W-6L-7OT 2.56 GAA .913 SV% (BOS)
Robin Lehner – 27 years old – (Signed with the Islanders for $1.5M)
2018/19 – 9GP 4w-4L-1OT 2.59 GAA .921 SV%
2017/18 – 53gp 14W-26L-9OT 3.01 GAA .908 SV% (BUF)
Petr Mrazek – 26 years old – (Signed with Carolina for $1.5M)
2018/19 – 8GP 3W-3L-2OT 2.76 GAA .880 SV%
2017/18 – 39GP 14W-13L-6OT 3.02 GAA .902 SV% (DET/PHI)
Cam Ward – 34 years old – (Signed with Chicago for $3M)
2018/19 – 9GP 3W-2L-4OT 3.81 GAA .891 SV%
2017/18 – 43GP 23W-14L-4OT 2.73 GAA .906 SV% (CAR)
Pavel Francouz – 28 years old – (Signed with Colorado for $690k)
2018/19 – 10GP 6W-3L 2.85 GAA 9.13 SV% (AHL)
2017/18 – 35GP 15W-11L-5OT 1.80 GAA .946 SV% (KHL)
The ones I’d sign are making right around the same money as Mikko Koskinen. So in my eyes, Peter Chiarelli has done fine job of procurring a backup goaltender that he thought would push Cam Talbot for the starter’s job in Edmonton because Koskinen is doing just that.
Is this the end for Cam Talbot?
His stat line reads as such:
13GP 5W-7L-1OT 3.09GAA .895 SV% 1SO
It’s not great and there’s tons of room for improvement but I don’t think it is the end for Cam Talbot.
We’ve seen this story play out before when Anders Nilsson was the backup and perhaps this is simply the same scenario. So I hope that Todd McLellan practices what he preaches (#accountability) and plays Koskinen vs. Calgary this weekend and then Talbot against Vegas the next night.
The Oilers need to stick with the better goalie right now. I get that Cam Talbot is looking for his 100th win in the NHL and that will come, no doubts there, but you win and you’re in. Plainly put.
