Confirmed with Link: Oilers sign Mikko Koskinen

[soothsayer]

no it isn't...it's a 1-year "show me" contract on a proven starting KHL goalie who coming in to push Talbot and play 25 games

if he works out great...maybe they re-sign him
if he flops, no big deal..its a 1-year deal and back to the KHL he goes

1.) When is the last time an NHL team signed a goalie who had zero NHL experience to a contract of that amount?

2.) What in the organization's recent history makes you confident of their ability to assess goaltending?

3.) What in the organization's recent history makes you confident of their ability to assess goaltenders with no NHL experience?

4.) What in the organization's recent negotiation history makes you feel that this signing is fair market value?

5.) What in the organization's recent trade, retention and acquisition history makes you comfortable in a risk like this one?

6.) Why did the organization burn a draft pick on Montoya when they were going to sign someone new?

7.) The Oilers will have next to no cap space next season, as in they may not even be able to afford rookie bonuses, unless they move out significant contracts. Are you comfortable paying a backup goalie extra for the sake of potential at the expense of ultimately bolstering the forward and/or d lineup, even if marginally?

I want to add: History and nuance matters. This isn't twitter.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

1.) When is the last time an NHL team signed a goalie who had zero NHL experience to a contract of that amount?

2.) What in the organization's recent history makes you confident of their ability to assess goaltending?

3.) What in the organization's recent history makes you confident of their ability to assess goaltenders with no NHL experience?

4.) What in the organization's recent negotiation history makes you feel that this signing is fair market value?

5.) What in the organization's recent trade, retention and acquisition history makes you comfortable in a risk like this one?

6.) Why did the organization burn a draft pick on Montoya when they were going to sign someone new?

7.) The Oilers will have next to no cap space next season, as in they may not even be able to afford rookie bonuses, unless they move out significant contracts. Are you comfortable paying a backup goalie extra for the sake of potential at the expense of ultimately bolstering the forward and/or d lineup, even if marginally?

They brought over Nilsson from the KHL, he's still in the NHL.

They have a set number for goaltending I'm sure and while our cap is hardly a great situation you'd have to think that they have their eye on moving out some cap to improve the team. Goaltending was a huge issue last season however we don't have $5 million to throw at it with Talbot already on the books.

 

[Ruudukkopupuset]

2) I'm not criticizing him and I know that he has a good international resume but it's still not NHL proven. Goaltending is a whole lot different in the KHL than it is in the NHL as far as style of game and level of player that he faces on a daily basis is concerned.

Goaltending wasn't so different that Finnish goaltending coaching (which came a phenomenon quite recently) wouldn't have helped to train some of the top goaltenders of the world so how come it will affect so much this giant who has actually enormous experience in the art of playing ice hockey. Koskinen has not spend his years outside Northern American opening the hatch for anyone or facing limited NHL training regulations. He has been clear number one goaltender of two times KHL winning club, World Championship silver winning team and the latest Finnish olympic squad.

Bobrovski in example became a Vezina winner in the very season when he was working with Jussi Parkkila (Colorado Avalanche nowadays) in SKA. Bobrovski didn't mind the sudden lockout transition as he was at top of his game at both KHL and NHL during the same season. Even though he wasn't given the task of number one goaltender over Steve Mason, despite his rather stellar season in the KHL so far then. I would be very wary of undermining the education the best goaltending coaches (Parkkila was only hired in the NHL in 2017 because of this myth spreading conservatism) are able to provide these goaltenders. Surely the Russian domestic league isn't as strong as the NHL in individuals or even have the same size ice surface but the talent they have in example goaltending coaching has this decade surpassed the NHL so it ain't like heavily regulated NHL is world leader in every aspect of the game. If NHL was more open to interaction in example understanding goaltending I doubt Koskinen contract years would be restricted to only one. Neither it would have taken a two decade long international career before Parkkila finally arrived to NHL.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

1.) When is the last time an NHL team signed a goalie who had zero NHL experience to a contract of that amount?

2.) What in the organization's recent history makes you confident of their ability to assess goaltending?

3.) What in the organization's recent history makes you confident of their ability to assess goaltenders with no NHL experience?

4.) What in the organization's recent negotiation history makes you feel that this signing is fair market value?

5.) What in the organization's recent trade, retention and acquisition history makes you comfortable in a risk like this one?

6.) Why did the organization burn a draft pick on Montoya when they were going to sign someone new?

7.) The Oilers will have next to no cap space next season, as in they may not even be able to afford rookie bonuses, unless they move out significant contracts. Are you comfortable paying a backup goalie extra for the sake of potential at the expense of ultimately bolstering the forward and/or d lineup, even if marginally?

I want to add: History and nuance matters. This isn't twitter.

not sure what any of your questions have to do with this being a complicated transaction

risky? sure
but it's a simple "show me" contract

 

[GMofOilers]

What irony. The person with the biggest agenda about any goalie we have sending a take with grain of salt message.

Lets be real. You would be behind any goalie but Talbot. They could be wearing clownshoes instead of skates and you'd be there backing them.

How about we keep comments like that out of it or they get the commensurate reply.

Speak about Koskinen, what he actually is, isn't vs some other innuendo.

What you talking about? Talbot was terrible this year, from start to finish, except what a 10 game stretch?

I call a spade a spade.

You trying to make a argument on how good/bad goaltending is after listening to you defend Talbots play all winter, is well Im not even wasting my time.

 

[callighenfan]

Sorry if someone pointed this out already, but there's one other reason why this signing seems deeply misguided. Remember Slava Malamud's amazing Twitter thread about how SKA St. Petersburg was stacked this year, totally ignoring league rules, to bring glory to Putin in an election year? May tell you something about Koskinen's wondrous .931 save percentage this year, after two years around .915. I'm really surprised Lowetide missed this—he interviewed Malamud on his show after the thread went viral.

Full thread here.

 

[GMofOilers]

Sorry if someone pointed this out already, but there's one other reason why this signing seems deeply misguided. Remember Slava Malamud's amazing Twitter thread about how SKA St. Petersburg was stacked this year, totally ignoring league rules, to bring glory to Putin in an election year? May tell you something about Koskinen's wondrous .931 save percentage this year, after two years around .915. I'm really surprised Lowetide missed this—he interviewed Malamud on his show after the thread went viral.

View attachment 118853

Full thread here.

Crazy Koskinen is even good enough to play on that team. That in itself might explain something......

 

[callighenfan]

Crazy Koskinen is even good enough to play on that team. That in itself might explain something......

That's another way of looking at it, it's true.

 

[MessierII]

Sorry if someone pointed this out already, but there's one other reason why this signing seems deeply misguided. Remember Slava Malamud's amazing Twitter thread about how SKA St. Petersburg was stacked this year, totally ignoring league rules, to bring glory to Putin in an election year? May tell you something about Koskinen's wondrous .931 save percentage this year, after two years around .915. I'm really surprised Lowetide missed this—he interviewed Malamud on his show after the thread went viral.

View attachment 118853

Full thread here.

Well if there’s mass corruption and team stacking the fact that they chose Koskinen to backstop them the past 4 years is a good thing no?

 

[shoop]

Goaltending was a huge issue last season however we don't have $5 million to throw at it with Talbot already on the books.

Are you saying there isn't $5 million in cap room in addition to Talbot or counting Talbot?

 

[GMofOilers]

I just dont get it.

This board is trying so hard to prop up a useless Sleepy in one thread, cause he failed here and are trying to blame the organization.

Yet in this thread, they are trying so hard to blame the organization for failing for bringing in Koskinen who apparently isnt very good?

That tells you one thing. Pretty easy to figure it out.

 

[joestevens29]

That's another way of looking at it, it's true.

Hes had some pretty decent years it looks like as well. 13-14 he did good on what looks like a shit show of a team. 14-15 was good as well

 

[nabob]

1.) When is the last time an NHL team signed a goalie who had zero NHL experience to a contract of that amount?

2.) What in the organization's recent history makes you confident of their ability to assess goaltending?

3.) What in the organization's recent history makes you confident of their ability to assess goaltenders with no NHL experience?

4.) What in the organization's recent negotiation history makes you feel that this signing is fair market value?

5.) What in the organization's recent trade, retention and acquisition history makes you comfortable in a risk like this one?

6.) Why did the organization burn a draft pick on Montoya when they were going to sign someone new?

7.) The Oilers will have next to no cap space next season, as in they may not even be able to afford rookie bonuses, unless they move out significant contracts. Are you comfortable paying a backup goalie extra for the sake of potential at the expense of ultimately bolstering the forward and/or d lineup, even if marginally?

I want to add: History and nuance matters. This isn't twitter.

So you're not basing any of you emotions on this signing about the actual player. That's interesting

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

I just dont get it.

This board is trying so hard to prop up a useless Sleepy in one thread, cause he failed here and are trying to blame the organization.

Yet in this thread, they are trying so hard to blame the organization for failing for bringing in Koskinen who apparently isnt very good?

That tells you one thing. Pretty easy to figure it out.

Something like that.

 

[GMofOilers]

View attachment 118859

Something like that.

Yup trolls, not fans

 

[soothsayer]

So you're not basing any of you emotions on this signing about the actual player. That's interesting

And whose analysis of this goaltender's game should we trust, yours? People's on this board? I've played goalie all my life and taught goaltending, but I'm not even touching on my analysis of his goaltending based on clips, because that's all any of us have seen.

We have his stats and they are okay. Not good enough to justify 2.5 M. So we have to assume that the organization has done some analysis that makes them confident in taking this risk, and it is a risk, given the cap situation. (Some people seem to not realize how close the Oilers are to the cap.) Part of my point is that the organization has lost the benefit of the doubt here, which is being given way too freely by some posters.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

And whose analysis of this goaltender's game should we trust, yours? People's on this board? I've played goalie all my life and taught goaltending, but I'm not even touching on my analysis of his goaltending based on clips, because that's all any of us have seen.

We have his stats and they are okay. Not good enough to justify 2.5 M. So we have to assume that the organization has done some analysis that makes them confident in taking this risk, and it is a risk, given the cap situation. (Some people seem to not realize how close the Oilers are to the cap.) Part of my point is that the organization has lost the benefit of the doubt here, which is being given way too freely by some posters.

And if he puts up good numbers with the Oilers either they pay him more or let him walk.

 

[KMart27]

Let's be honest, we aren't going to be able to judge this signing until the season. KHL save percentages tell us little. The salary is high for an unknown but that doesn't mean he won't be worth it. The bigger concern is really Talbot. If he doesn't play like a #1 it would be a big ask for even an experienced NHL backup to take over as the starter and make the playoffs.

 

[Senor Catface]

"But what if he does well?"

 

[GMofOilers]

Let's be honest, we aren't going to be able to judge this signing until the season. KHL save percentages tell us little. The salary is high for an unknown but that doesn't mean he won't be worth it. The bigger concern is really Talbot. If he doesn't play like a #1 it would be a big ask for even an experienced NHL backup to take over as the starter and make the playoffs.

I agree, I said it few pages back in this thread. The bigger question/concern right now is Talbot.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

"But what if he does well?"

It would be great. ...For this season.

You think he takes 2.5 going forward?

 

[Spawn]

Yup trolls, not fans

So anyone who is critical of management is a troll and not a fan?

Insightful.

Especially coming from a poster who has become one of the most one note contributors on this forum regarding constant criticisms of cam Talbot.

 

[shoop]

The bigger concern is really Talbot. If he doesn't play like a #1 it would be a big ask for even an experienced NHL backup to take over as the starter and make the playoffs.

Agreed, but isn't that the whole idea of trying to set up a 1A/1B type situation?

It feels like there will be open competition for the starter job. If both play decently then maybe Koskinen is seen as more than just a backup.

 

[shoop]

So anyone who is critical of management is a troll and not a fan?

That looks like a screen shot from Calgary Puck. Pretty much the definition of trolls when it comes to their attitude to the Oilers.

 

[GMofOilers]

So anyone who is critical of management is a troll and not a fan?

Insightful.

Especially coming from a poster who has become one of the most one note contributors on this forum regarding constant criticisms of cam Talbot.

Read the post I quoted again.

You can have whatever your opinion is on the Oilers. Thats totally fine.

Doesnt make you any smarter or dumber then anyone else on here.

Whats getting really annoying on this board is the constant negativity. Every topic on hand turns negative about the ogranization.

My advice for those people is:

Take a long break over this summer, dont think about or care about the Oilers at all once. Try and bring some positivity back into being a fan, after a nice break.

Its just not worth being a fan of something you want to hate, or want to see fail. Its actually unhealthy.