A Coaching Blunder

It’s no secret Cam Talbot hasn’t been good out of the gate for the Edmonton Oilers. Despite being pulled from two of his first four appearances, the hope was Todd McLellan wouldn’t hit the panic button and sit his starter against the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night. Unfortunately, he did just that and likely cost his team two points in the process and sent the wrong message to his No. 1 goalie.

Encore Presentation

Expectations can be a funny thing. Heading into 2016-17, it was apparent to anyone paying attention that Cam Talbot would play a key role in the Edmonton Oilers success or failure. If the former New York Rangers backup could come close to repeating his performance from the final four months of the previous year, it appeared as though things might finally take a turn for the better in the Alberta capital.

Oilers Need More From Brossoit

As great as Cam Talbot was for the Edmonton Oilers in 2016-17, expecting a repeat performance in 2017-18 would be quite the ask. In my mind, there is an extremely good chance the 30-year old will once again be among the best goaltenders in the league but to think he will do it by appearing in another 70 plus games and play over 4,000 minutes isn’t practical. So the question then becomes, is Laurent Brossoit ready to take on a bigger role?

Oilers Hoping Skinner Can Pan Out

In the eyes of most, the Edmonton Oilers knocked it out of the park when they decided to use their first-round pick to take the diminutive and highly-skilled Kailer Yamamoto of the Spokane Chiefs. With no second round at their disposal, it was a foregone conclusion that Peter Chiarelli and company would be drafting from a standpoint of organizational need with their remaining picks in the 2017 Entry Draft.

Staying The Course

It is next to impossible to go out and find an NHL coach who doesn’t make his share of bad decisions over the course of a season. No matter who we are talking about, mistakes are going to be made. In a campaign that has seen little go wrong for the Edmonton Oilers, very few of Todd McLellan missteps have come back to bite him or his team. However, the decision to start Cam Talbot against the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night could potentially prove problematic. 

Brossoit Hits First Real Speed Bump

While the vast majority of Oilers Nation appeared to be more than comfortable with anointing Laurent Brossoit as the goalie of the future for the Edmonton Oilers after just two NHL appearances,  the chances of that actually occurring were never a sure thing and his last two starts are perfect examples as to why that is.  As good as he looked during his final two seasons with the Edmonton Oil Kings and stretches in the AHL, the shortcomings in his game have always been there for anyone wanting to pay attention. 

The Return Of The Value Contract

As anyone who follows the game of hockey knows, today is all about the NHLTrade Deadline and seeing what potential future pieces teams are willing to part with in order to take a run at winning the Stanley Cup or just making the playoffs. That is not the case in Edmonton, where the Oilers are focused and tomorrow and Peter Chiarelli did some nice work in signing defenceman Brandon Davidson and Laurent Brossoit to multi-year extensions.

Now Is Not The Time For Laurent Brossoit

When it comes to up and coming prospects currently in the Edmonton Oilers farm system, few appear to have this fan base as excited as netminder Laurent Brossoit. While the organization has been looking for a No. 1 goaltender since parting ways with Dwayne Roloson following the 2008-09 campaign, they have yet to hit the jackpot when it comes to finding their go-to-guy in between the pipes. 

A Diamond In The Rough

Over the past eight weeks, the Edmonton Oilers have added three goaltenders from outside the organization, in hopes of addressing an obvious weakness. While Peter Chiarelli is banking on Cam Talbot being able to carry the mail as an NHL starting netminder in the here and now, he is also hoping one of Laurent Brossoit or Eetu Laurikainen will eventually develop into a so-called goalie of the future.

Draft Day Targets - Ilya Samsonov

Since 1981, the Edmonton Oilers have drafted a grand total two goaltenders who have gone on to see regular duty as an NHL starter. One happens to be a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame in Grant Fuhr and the other, ironically enough, is none other than Devan Dubnyk.

Brossoit Shines In Debut

As far as NHL debuts go, Laurent Brossoit could not have asked for things to have gone much better than they did on Thursday night against the San Jose Sharks. While his preference would have certainly been to skate off with his first career win, having to settle for a 3-1 loss in which the twenty-two year old was by far and away the best player on the ice could not have been overly disappointing.