Should The Oilers Draft A Goalie?

A smart man I know once said that goalie are voodoo. From a drafting standpoint, you never really know what you’re getting into until it’s in front of you. Henrik Lundqvist was drafted in the seventh round of the same draft that saw the Islanders take Rick DiPietro first overall. I would advise against picking a goalie with the first pick overall. That’s looking at you, Pittsburgh.

Barring a trade, the Oilers will draft 22nd overall in the first round. They won’t draft again until the third round. Here’s a quick rundown of their picks.

• 22nd
• 82nd
• 84th (the Yakupov pick)
• 115th
• 126th (the Larsen pick)
• 146th
• 177th
• 208th

No goaltenders are projected to go in the first round, but should the Oilers think about snagging one on day two?

A quick rundown of the goalie sitch in and around Oil City:

• Cam Talbot, 29. Running the show right now. Will continue to run the show for at least a couple more years, and if he continues to have seasons like he did in 2016-17, he’ll be here for a while. Signed through 2018-19
• Laurent Brossoit, 24. Filled in admirably when Jonas Gustavsson couldn’t cut the mustard, though only played eight games the whole season in the NHL. Will likely backup Talbot in 2017-18. Signed through 2017-18
• Nick Ellis, 23. he’s the number one in Bake-o after Brossoit was called up after the demonstrably terrible performance by Jonas Gustavsson. Finished with an encouraging .918 SV%. Signed through 2017-18
• Jonas Gustavsson, 32. It Just Didn’t Work Out. Signed to a one year deal to backup Cam Talbot and all the air was quickly let out the tires. .878 in seven games, finished season in Bakersfield. To be fired into the sun.
• Eetu Laurikainen, 25. Spent last season in Norfolk, played just eleven games. Arbitration Eligible
• Zachary Nagelvoort, 23. .942 SV% with Michigan (Big 10).
• Miroslav Svoboda, 23. .944 with HC Dukla Jihlava (Czech 2)
• Dylan Wells, 19. .916 SV% w/ Peterborough (OHL), .930 in playoffs. Signed through 2019-2020
• Shane Starrett, 22. .925 in 37 games with Air Force (NCAA). Signed through 2018-19 (thanks, CamRent!)

After Talbot and Brossoit, the Oilers have two goalies under contract and a few more that they have to decide what to do with. Should the Oilers draft a goalie?

A quick look at some that will be available in just under two weeks.

• Jake Oettinger. Oettinger is the number one ranked North American goalie in the 2017 NHL Draft. He posted a .927 SV% in 35 games with Boston University this season, and could be the first goalie off the board.
• Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is the number one ranked European goalie in the 2017 NHL Draft. Modeling his style of play after some guy named Pekka Rinne, he was in net for Finland’s silver medal at the U18s. Finished with a .916 SV% with HPK Jr.
• Olle Eriksson Ek is the second ranked European goalie in the entry draft. Eriksson Ek put up a .916 along with five shutouts with Farjestad in the Swedish Junior League, he also turned in a .916 over four games during the Hlinka Memorial in 2016.
• Keith Petruzzelli is the number two ranked goalie prospect for North America. He posted a .918 over 35 games with Muskegon (USHL). Stands tall in the net at 6’5”.
• Michael DiPietro is ranked fourth among North American goalie prospects. Put up a .917SV% in 51 games with Windsor (OHL) en route to the Memorial Cup. Winner of the OHL MVP award, he could be the first goaltender off the board if not Jake Oettinger.

It’s important to remember that the Oilers don’t have a pick after 22 until well into the third around at number 82. If no deals are made, they’ll pick at 82 and 84. Should they elect to choose a goaltender, they should have a line of them to choose from.