Oilers Best Goalie Prospect Ready For The NHL
The Edmonton Oilers have a great goalie in the AHL who should get an opportunity in the NHL.
EDMONTON -- If at first, you don't succeed, try again.
Or, do something completely different.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgu4TmAmwxw[/embed]
The Edmonton Oilers have been running the same goalie tandem for a long time. Variety is the spice of life, and the Oilers could add some spice to their life by making a call-up.
Olivier Rodrigue is ready for a call-up, and the Oilers should strongly consider it. Although the Oilers' current tandem has struggled at times, their best goalie prospect is ready for an NHL audition.
Both Goalies Have Struggled Over Stretches
The Oilers have stuck with a tandem of Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard for approximately a calendar year. The team struggled at the start of the year, and the duo have been trying to make up for it ever since.
Skinner has an 11-8-2 record with a 2.98 goals against average (GAA), an .892 save percentage (SV%), and one shutout. Conversely, Pickard has a 7-3-0 record, with a 2.41 GAA and a .901 SV%.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLj9H_EzNk8[/embed]
Looking across the league, the Oilers are getting about league-average goaltending. This season, 2.84 GAA and .900 SV% are the average across the board.
Rodrigue Has Been Great For A Long Time
Rodrigue has been fantastic in the AHL this season. In fact, he's been good in the AHL for a long time. This season, he has a 6-5-2 record, a 2.84 GAA, and a .913 SV%. These numbers aren't limited to this season.
Rodrigue's SV% was .912 and .916 in the previous two years. He also maintained consistency with a 2.77 and 2.73 GAA, respectively. The 24-year-old has played 103 AHL games, posting a 2.83 GAA and a .909 SV%.
He has shown great promise and should get a taste of NHL action to see if he is ready. These numbers suggest that he could be.
Oilers Defense Can Ease Rodrigue's Transition
The Oilers are one of the best defensive teams in the league. According to MoneyPuck, they rank 13th in Expected Goals Against, 18th in High Danger Shots Against (63), 9th in Medium Danger Shots Against (167), and 9th in Low Danger Shots Against (752).
Considering how the team started the year, this isn't too bad.
Behind a solid, middle-of-the-pack defense, Rodrigue has an opportunity to become a league-average goaltender. The Oilers know what they have in Skinner and Pickard, so why not give the 24-year-old a cup of coffee in the NHL?
The worst-case scenario is that they lose more games than they would like and send him down to work on his game more. No harm, no foul.
There is no better time than the present to try something different.
Bookmark The Hockey News Edmonton Oilers team site to never miss the latest news, game-day coverage, and more.