After a huge turnaround with the Oklahoma City Barons roster this offseason, the Barons are going to have a brand new group of goaltenders for the upcoming season. With the departures of Martin Gerber to Vaxjo of the SEL, and Jeff Deslauriers to Anaheim, the Oilers have brought in Yann Danis, David LeNeveu on an AHL deal, and Olivier Roy on an ELC. With the nearly guaranteed Nikolai Khabibulin issues, and Roy looking somewhat AHL-ready, many different scenarios that could possibly play out this season.
Yann Danis joins the Oilers organization after spending last season with Amur Khabarovsk of the KHL. Danis' .910 SV% last season put him 26th in the KHL, and his 3.05 GAA put him 40th. In comparison, Martin Gerber's 2009-10 season would see a .914 SV% and 2.19 GAA. You can probably expect to see a lot of the same from Danis as Gerber this season. The biggest difference this season, is with LeNeveu being on an AHL deal, Danis will, for the most part, be considered the number one goaltender for the Barons this season. The Gerber/JDD dynamic last season didn't allow for that too much.
David LeNeveu joins the Barons after signing an AHL deal with the team. As training camp looks to begin over the next couple weeks, LeNeveu will probably back-up Danis for the majority of the season. The big question regarding LeNeveu will be when Danis gets called up. With Roy slotted in Stockton, and when he gets called up, whether it will be Roy or LeNeveu who sits in the starting role, or if they will trade off starts. Playing last season for the Springfield Falcons, LeNeveu posted a 2.95 GAA and .896 SV% over 42 games.
Olivier Roy, number 22 on the Copper & Blue's Top 25 Under 25 list, joins the pro ranks for the first time this season. Drafted 133rd overall in 2009, Roy will probably see some time in Stockton and the ECHL this season to help acclimate him to the pro game. Like I mentioned before with LeNeveu, it remains to be seen how much time he'll get in the AHL this season. I'm sure he will get some at some point too. Going off of last night's game against the Vancouver rookies, Roy looks like he'll have a monster season with the Thunder.
With both LeNeveu and Danis on one-year deals, I fully expect Roy to be the Barons starter next season. Whether either of the two are back. I'm a firm believer that he should be down in Stockton to start this season though, so that he can get the playing time he needs. While arguably a step down from last season's duo of Gerber and JDD, I don't think goaltending will be a huge problem. I'm more than confident in the defense that they won't be leaving a lot of soft chances for the goalies to keep up after.