Post-Game Talk: Koskinen's final start as an Oiler

[SwedishFire]

I know that Koskinen is not great but this loss isn't on him in my opinion...sure this last goal is looking ugly as f*** but it was also a bad bounce...and yes his glove hand is not very good but the other goals weren't as bad.
I remember when everyone was shitting on Eberle und then later on Talbot and both are doing fine in different situations/teams.

Why is nobody talking about the controller disconnected by McD on the first goal after his pass (while this was a must shot situation by the way) rocketed through Drai and Chiasson.
He could have stopped the goal scorer without doing much with his speed...he was in front of him at that time.
I dont like scapegoating while giving superstars a pass on every failure...yes I know McD deserve it to be not the culprit but common...

If players actually read Hfboards. Oh god...

Koskinen iS very good when he isnt get exposed. If he gwts, its snowballrollinh downhill

 

[Tyrolean]

I'd have Stalock as the backup for the entire playoffs.

 

[yukoner88]

View attachment 434390 No, this.

for you young uns, this car was famous for exploding of it got rear ended. Many law suits and sadly, people perished. This is the Koskinen if he was a car.
View attachment 434390

More like the blue car from Mr Bean

 

[The Panther]

Geez, this place sometimes...!

Yes, Koskinen has had a relatively poor season. Yes, Smith is clearly better right now.

No, the club didn't suddenly decide to buy out Koskinen after one utterly meaningless game when the skaters managed 1 goal against a sixth-place team.

Goalies like Brayden Holtby (recent Cup winner), Devan Dubnyk, Freddie Anderson, Brian Elliot (former Jennings winner), and Matt Murray (recent Cup winner) all had worse save percentages than Koskinen this season.

Had Koskinen not been over-played so much in January, I'm sure his save percentage would be just a tad higher, and he'd be up there with Khudobin, Halak, and Bobrobsky, right in the center of the NHL pack, which is what I'd expect from the guy who is effectively the back-up goalie.

(It's also quite reasonable to expect Koskinen to get back to 2019-20's form next season. People do bounce back.)

Oilers' fandom seems to have collectively decided Koskinen is our mortal enemy because Chiarelli overpaid him.

 

[Jumptheshark]

This threadjustjinxed Smith staying healthy

 

[Oilers in NS]

Let's not kid ourselves, he'll play at least one game in the playoffs lol

Your kidding ,

 

[Mr Positive]

Geez, this place sometimes...!

Yes, Koskinen has had a relatively poor season. Yes, Smith is clearly better right now.

No, the club didn't suddenly decide to buy out Koskinen after one utterly meaningless game when the skaters managed 1 goal against a sixth-place team.

Goalies like Brayden Holtby (recent Cup winner), Devan Dubnyk, Freddie Anderson, Brian Elliot (former Jennings winner), and Matt Murray (recent Cup winner) all had worse save percentages than Koskinen this season.

Had Koskinen not been over-played so much in January, I'm sure his save percentage would be just a tad higher, and he'd be up there with Khudobin, Halak, and Bobrobsky, right in the center of the NHL pack, which is what I'd expect from the guy who is effectively the back-up goalie.

(It's also quite reasonable to expect Koskinen to get back to 2019-20's form next season. People do bounce back.)

Oilers' fandom seems to have collectively decided Koskinen is our mortal enemy because Chiarelli overpaid him.

I'm generally a Koskinen supporter for reasons like you say. I do think there is too much focus on the salary from us fans. I'm not faulting any of us for understanding the GM side, and that's part of the appeal of sports, but we should also be able to file that away at some point and get the most with what we have instead of constantly including salary concerns, or who that player was traded for. Getting hung up on Koskinen's salary is just as bad as constantly bringing up Hall when talking about Larsson.

Overall, imo it's better to be biased in favor of Koskinen because he is here so we should make the most of him. Buying him out adds a cap hit this year as well as the next. Until recently I was adament that replacing him wouldn't be worth it in the end. For all his faults, as a back up he'd be okay, and there is potential for him to get hot and be more than that. Overpaid, but useful

But things have changed. First off, this is the offseason to get our goalie of the future. Driedger, Ullmark, trade option, and on top of that expansion might knock someone loose. Also, it is looking more and more like maybe Smith could have yet another season in him. That makes 2 goalies.

Buying out Koskinen makes sense if he doesn't have a role here. Also, I do agree with you that he is better than what we've seen at the start and end of this season. However, it feels like the relationship between him, the team, and the fans has soured. Perhaps the right time to move on, for everyone.

But like with other situations, playoffs can change a lot. Our team does not want to give RNH the money he wants, and so as of today it looks like he's out of here, but the playoffs can change lots. With Koskinen however, it's unlikely he gets that opportunity. Maybe Tippett goes with Stalock now, and of course Smith will play as many games as he can handle regardless.

 

[Hemsky4pm2]

Perhaps the lesson with Mikko is that if he allows two quick and/or weak goals against, pull him because he will melt down?

I think they would try to work a three team deal this summer where he can be moved with the salary being split 1.5M per team. Final team gets a standard backup at 1.5M, middle team gets an asset (pick or prospect) and the Oilers get 3M in cap space.

 

[McDrai]

Oilers' fandom seems to have collectively decided Koskinen is our mortal enemy because Chiarelli overpaid him.

Nah. He's our mortal enemy because he sucks this season and he seems to rub off on the rest of the team when he is in net (13-13 record with Koskinen).
Also, do you think it is smart to have a goalie such as Koskinen, with his struggles, alongside 38 year old Mike Smith next season? At some point, father time is going to catch up to Smith. We better have a starting calibre goalie as an insurance policy or else you can write off next season.

Don't get me wrong, Koskinen will probably have better numbers next year. Just not here (I hope our goalie coach is turfed by the way. He appears to ruin any goalies we acquire)

 

[The Panther]

I'd be fine if the Oilers trade Koskinen and whatever else to get a good, reliable back-up who is, say, 27 years old or younger. I'm not suggesting the Oilers need to keep Koskinen.

I am suggesting that a buy-out is rarely a good solution in the cap-world.

I agree with the above post that having Smith and Koskinen next season does not spell success. So, something's gotta give...

So far, I basically trust Holland.

 

[StoveTopStauffer]

Koskinen is the smalleat 6'7 goalie on the planet. He has no glove hand.

 

[Mickelsnitz]

Remember when Koskinen wouldn’t let the trainer throw his hat on the ice after Drais hat trick. That was weird to me. He can afford a new one, probably get it back after if he really cherished the hat and fans would have happily peppered the ice with their own hats.
I think everyone of us on the board would have tossed our hats in if in Mikkos position in support of a great player.
I don’t think he is liked by the team, he done.

 

[Jumptheshark]

my prediction is that because of this thread! Smith gets injured in the first game and Kosk takes over the playoffs! bad bad thread title!

 

[Aerchon]

Perhaps the lesson with Mikko is that if he allows two quick and/or weak goals against, pull him because he will melt down?

I think they would try to work a three team deal this summer where he can be moved with the salary being split 1.5M per team. Final team gets a standard backup at 1.5M, middle team gets an asset (pick or prospect) and the Oilers get 3M in cap space.

Great post. Our coaching staff has been brutal when figuring out when to pull goalies. Obviously Koskinen is to blame but there was a time in the nhl that 2 bad goals meant most goalies were getting pulled for the reason you describe.

And trade with retention is by far the better route than buyout. As much as I want Holland to go big game hunting for a goalie this year as priority #1 I detest the idea of buying Koskinen out.

 

[Anarchism]

There was a way to move Kostko this summer--a complicated way--but now even as a backup at 50 percent his money what GM would take that risk? Only one with an umovable cap hit/
Even Tampa wont do this now to move Tyler J.

 

[Oil53]

Koskinen is not mobile enough to play consistently great in the NHL.
This is why he refuses to challenge shooters and stays on the goal line,
on his knees,before the shot is even taken.He is really 5’7” with no lateral
movement.Move on.

 

[TB12]

Remember when Koskinen wouldn’t let the trainer throw his hat on the ice after Drais hat trick. That was weird to me. He can afford a new one, probably get it back after if he really cherished the hat and fans would have happily peppered the ice with their own hats.
I think everyone of us on the board would have tossed our hats in if in Mikkos position in support of a great player.
I don’t think he is liked by the team, he done.

He didn’t want his hat thrown because that would have been a bush league move and he didn’t want to show up the other team. There’s no fans in the building and one hat gets thrown on the ice by the backup goalie? That is a seriously classless move that you’re doing to a team you’re going to see like 7 more times this year. Guaranteed the entire team would have hated had he thrown the hat. Mikko was right to stop the trainer. Full stop.

 

[Mickelsnitz]

He didn’t want his hat thrown because that would have been a bush league move and he didn’t want to show up the other team. There’s no fans in the building and one hat gets thrown on the ice by the backup goalie? That is a seriously classless move that you’re doing to a team you’re going to see like 7 more times this year. Guaranteed the entire team would have hated had he thrown the hat. Mikko was right to stop the trainer. Full stop.

That’s fair. I didn’t consider the event from that perspective, more my confirmation bias re Koskinen.

 

[Mcnofool6110]

Koskinen first two periods: there's a battle for Edmonton's crease
Koskinen third: there's a battle for Edmonton crease's backup

Really feeling uneasy about a compellingly unconfident and out of form Kosko as our backup

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

Maybe they can loan him to a European league like the Blackhawks did with Cristobal Huet. I don't know if that's still allowed, though.

I believe they can but then I think we either eat the full cap hit or it’s the same as sending him to the AHL and we save a little over a million.

 

[MoontoScott]

The Canucks don't have anybody like Mc-Drai but I think they are a better team than their record shows.

They will have to do some further building but with Demko, age 25 signed up at a decent price for 5 years --that puts a great building block in place. The challenge for the Oilers is to find someone like him--it won't be easy. Good goalies are such a black hole-- they are partially theoretical but we know they must be out there.

The Nucks also have to re-sign Pettersson but Sutter is coming off the books this year so it should be manageable.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

I can’t believe the excuse machine for some that comes out after Koskinen has yet another one of his bad games. Goals are always on someone else. Never Mikko.

He consistently lets in the high glove shot and opposing players target this weakness.

He consistently lets goals in bunches.

He consistently lets in the first shot of the game.

He consistently has pucks go straight through him.

He is one of these monster goalies who relies on positioning and size to stop pucks. These goalies all have a short shelf life and are never “great”.

He has form issues, he is relatively slow to react in compare to a sheer athletic goalie like Smith and after seeing a bevy of shots go in in rapid succession he seems to have a major problem in confidence.

I can’t believe Koskinen comes back next year for any other reason than the team seems to play nervous in front of him.

It’s time to move on from him.

 

[Oilhawks]

The Canucks don't have anybody like Mc-Drai but I think they are a better team than their record shows.

They will have to do some further building but with Demko, age 25 signed up at a decent price for 5 years --that puts a great building block in place. The challenge for the Oilers is to find someone like him--it won't be easy.

The Nucks also have to re-sign Pettersson but Sutter is coming off the books this year so it should be manageable.

The biggest problem they have is their bottom 6 is massively overpaid. That cap will come off but will then be spent on the young players (at least they should be worth it).

I’m also not convinced that a team with Hughes as their best D man is going far. It’d be like Barrie being our best D and expecting a cup. Juolevi is super underwhelming, Rathbone seems like he could be a top 4 guy but I don’t see a prime Edler replacement, which they absolutely will need.

 

[Del Preston]

I believe they can but then I think we either eat the full cap hit or it’s the same as sending him to the AHL and we save a little over a million.

It might be different now, but when the Hawks did it, Huet's entire cap hit was removed. Of course, Koskinen would have to agree to go back to Europe for this to actually occur.

 

[Ritchie Valens]

I can’t believe the excuse machine for some that comes out after Koskinen has yet another one of his bad games. Goals are always on someone else. Never Mikko.

He consistently lets in the high glove shot and opposing players target this weakness.

He consistently lets goals in bunches.

He consistently lets in the first shot of the game.

He consistently has pucks go straight through him.

He is one of these monster goalies who relies on positioning and size to stop pucks. These goalies all have a short shelf life and are never “great”.

He has form issues, he is relatively slow to react in compare to a sheer athletic goalie like Smith and after seeing a bevy of shots go in in rapid succession he seems to have a major problem in confidence.

I can’t believe Koskinen comes back next year for any other reason than the team seems to play nervous in front of him.

It’s time to move on from him.

Flat cap or not, I am fully on board with a Koskinen buyout and having 1.5 million of dead space for two seasons.

Best case scenario, he wants to return to Europe and they mutually agree to terminate the contract.