The Oilers have secured another goaltender with a cap-friendly deal
If there's been one sore spot for the Oilers this past year, it's been the roller coaster ride of their goaltending, leaving some fans scratching their heads and others seething at the results. As all fans know, one of the key ingredients to winning the Stanley Cup is stable and winning goaltending throughout both the playoffs and the regular season.
General manager Ken Holland believed he had acquired that goaltender when he signed former Toronto Maple Leafs starter
Jack Campbell. For $5,000,000 per season, Holland expected nothing less than superb goaltending. Unfortunately, that did not happen, and Campbell had an up-and-down season.
Additionally,
Stuart Skinner ended up becoming the starter until the end of the year, earning him a three-year contract extension with the team at a modest $1.6 million per year.
Fast forward to this summer, and the Oilers have decided to sign
Olivier Rodrigue to a one-year extension. Rodrigue was given a two-way deal worth $775,000.
The 22-year-old goaltender was drafted in the second round, 62nd overall, in the 2018 NHL draft. Standing at 6 feet 1 inch and weighing 174 pounds, he hails from Chicoutimi, QC. Rodrigue has spent the last two seasons with the Bakersfield Condors in the AHL. In his last season, he played 29 games, maintaining a 2.77 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage.
Rodrigue provides the Oilers with depth in the goaltending position. If an injury occurs to either Campbell or Skinner, Rodrigue seems fully capable of stepping in and filling the gap until one of them returns. Moreover, $775,000 is a minimal amount of cap space for such a crucial position.
Previously on Oilers Daily
POLL |
JUILLET 5 | 543 ANSWERS The Oilers have secured another goaltender with a cap-friendly deal Are you confident with Skinner and Campbell as the goalies of the Oilers? |
Yes | 208 | 38.3 % |
No | 335 | 61.7 % |
List of polls |
|
7 hours ago | By Ryan Hall Alexander Ovechkin's wife shares personal moment with Connor McDavid on social media |
|
8 hours ago | By Ryan Hall Team Canada goalie Jordan Binnington could be on the move out of St. Louis |
|
10 hours ago | By Liam McCormick Mitch Marner and NHL video coach break down Connor McDavid set play on Team Canada winner |
|
11 hours ago | By Liam McCormick "If you take too long, you'll be gone": Corey Perry gets serious about Oilers need to bounce back |
|
15 hours ago | By Liam McCormick Ovechkin celebrates hat trick on ice with his family, pulls into striking distance of Gretzky record |
|
17 hours ago | By Liam McCormick Oilers coach Knoblauch shows some frustration by calling out player for the second time |
|
18 hours ago | By Liam McCormick Oilers significantly shake up lineup, healthy scratch could hint at trade deadline plans |
|
19 hours ago | By Ryan Hall Edmonton Oilers receive bad news with injury to top goalie trade target |