Oilers Top Goalie Prospect Ready To Push for Oilers Starting Job
It appears the Edmonton Oilers organization may have a starting goaltender waiting in the wing as Olivier Rodrigue appears to be ready to push for an NHL starting job.
Over the past several weeks, the Oilers resurgence has been noticeable and fantastic as the team now sits in a playoff spot and continuing to climb in the standings. But one aspect of their game is still troubling which is their goaltending as Stuart Skinner has not performed on a consistent basis all season.
Well known for his stretches of great play a then poor performance afterwards it's worth noting that the Oilers goaltenders are 12th best in the NHL at 2.88 goals against but a dismal 23rd in save percentage at .895.
Rodrigue continues to excel with the Bakersfield Condors even though the team is only playing 500 hockey now. Through 15 games, he has a record of 8-5-2 with the goals against of 2.53 and a save percentage of .923 which is one of his best performances since being drafted by the Oilers.
He showed off his talents as the Condors beat the San Jose Barracuda 2-0 and he faced 33 shots. While it's likely general manager Stan Bowman and head coach Kris Knoblauch will continue to run with the goaltending, they have currently which is Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard.
Having a strong goaltender prospect on the farm could take pressure off the Oilers management team especially if they need to find a goaltender quickly due to poor performance.
It's safe to say that Rodrigue would need to prove himself to the team that he can handle the NHL level but it's clear that he is ready to push and try to make a name for himself and be ready to join the Oilers one day soon.
The Oilers will be facing a tough stretch as they will have 14 games in January and the schedule continues to compress as the NHL heads towards its 4 Nation faceoff tournament. It's a positive to know that they have a capable goaltender especially if injuries become a problem.
