Add in somehow Dustin Schwartz has still been employed by the organization. Meanwhile, Ian Clark has done wonders for the canucks goalies similar to Sean Burke and VGK. How Schwartz is still employed is truly mind-boggling.
The Canucks have invested in top pedigree goaltenders for twenty years whether by trade or drafting.They've had two decades of top goaltenders including Luongo, Schneider, Markstrom, Demko (all 1st or high 2nd round picks). Cole has had quality ingredients to work with. Conversely the Oilers 'strategy' has been bailer wire and duct tape trying to rehabilitate old, deeply established veteran goaltenders culminating in a disastrous 5x5 contract to Jack Campbell and a needle in the haystack hope to find a goaltender with marginal picks. Blow through 9 or 10 picks over a decade until Skinner emerged as a mid-level prospect.
It's a night and day approach. Canucks have invested premium assets to ensure quality ingredients at the game's most important position while the Oilers have looked at the position as an after thought recycling older retreads and volume 'strategy' of blowing out mid level picks hoping to have one eventually hit. Skinner finally beat the odds as a mid-level prospect. He was pencilled in as a back-up goaltender through the winning window years ... until the Oilers blew it with Campbell.
Fire Schwartz for his role in betting this team's window and precious cap on Jack Campbell. Not for his protege Skinner for coping and surviving with having to fast track from a slow cook back-up role to deep end starter on a white hot expectant contender. Skinner has met his breaking point with this playoff run,
As to his role, Clarke's own comments about the coaching role which includes amateur scouting support:
“For me, I’m a big believer when it comes to scouting in evaluating the intangibles when it comes to goaltenders. Technique and structure and all those types of things are very tangible. Those are things we can kind of do with our eyes closed. They’re very tangible and very blueprint-y.
“I say this, and I probably shouldn’t, but I say that we can teach a goaltender technique in a weekend,” Clark said with a laugh. “So for me, those things really don’t register for me when I’m evaluating a goalie. What I’m really looking at is the intangible things that I know through my history in the game are much more difficult to teach through nurture.
This is all filtered through his 7 core attributes for playing the hardest position in the game: athleticism, competitiveness, instinctive ability, reactivity, technique, and visual talent. Short memory.
Ian Clarke is excellent as a goaltender coach and guru. But his work is built upon organizational strategy that priorities goaltender through trade and pedigree draft picks. Unfortunately Edmonton has treated the position as largely an after thought. You get what you paid for ... unfortunately in the Oilers case it was a massive UFA investment in a red flag Jack Campbell and Koskinen before that.
The Oilers haven't treated the most important position in the game without any real sophistication or as a strategic priority.