Oilers Analyst Suggests Former Oiler as Candidate for New Goaltending Coach
The Oilers goaltending problems this season are causing fans and media to put pressure on the controversial goalie coach Dustin Schwartz, leading to one Oilers analyst to suggest an interesting replacement.
Bruce Curlock of Oilers Nation recently said he's heard the idea floated to bring in Mike Smith as the Oilers goalie coach, and that the idea has some real merit.
But would the Oilers really consider firing Dustin Schwartz early into the season because of their goalie struggles?
Absolutely. The Oilers hired Schwartz in November of 2014 after firing Frederic Chabot mid-season. If it happened once, it could surely happen again.
In less than one week, Dustin Schwartz will have been with the Edmonton Oilers for the last 10 years despite so many calls to be fired.
In that time, Oilers goaltenders have seen their games regress year over year, and even some goalies like Cam Talbot and Anthony Stolarz leave to have great success elsewhere.
The struggles of the Oilers goaltenders may just be on their skill levels and not Schwartz, but in the 10 years he's been here, it's consistently been the team's weakness and there must have been other candidates available.
One reason Stuart Skinner is being beat too easily this year is that his lateral movement is ranked as the worst in the NHL.
If Schwartz was a great goalie coach, that weakness would've been identified and corrected by now.
For these reasons the Oilers should consider making an immediate change with the goalie coach, and Mike Smith is as good a candidate as any.
The veteran goaltender found success in the late stages of his career in Edmonton, and was always a unique netminder. His desperation save style may actually work well with the NHL focusing on east-west passes, and his stick handling ability is a real asset that could be passed to other goalies. Smith acted as a mentor for Stuart Skinner, too.
It would be an incredibly popular move for the Oilers to fire Dustin Schwartz before he reaches 10 years with the team, and even better if they hire the fan favourite Mike Smith. Hopefully, the Oilers have the guts to make a bold change.
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